For the most part, Joelle and I represent opinions on opposing ends of the political spectrum. We've squared off on a whole gamut of political, social and economic issues this past year. We hope our 'Both Sides Now' column provided our readers with different perspectives through which to examine single issues and that Herald readers of all political persuasions felt challenged by us to question their political convictions. Polarized political positions rarely lead to productive results; however, public policy is best crafted when people of opposing views can come together to work to better their communities. Amid our disagreements, Joelle and I found some of that valuable common ground this year. Here are some issues we found ourselves agreeing on:
1. Paid Sick Leave in Madison
Every Madison worker deserves the chance to stay home when sick (or when members of his or her family are sick) and not have to worry about loss of pay, or worse, getting fired. The proposed Healthy Families ordinance eliminates this worry by requiring employers to provide a reasonable number of paid sick days per year for their employees. The amount of paid sick leave required varies depending on how many hours per week an employee works, but according to the Healthy Families Healthy City Coalition, a full-time worker would receive between eight and nine days of paid sick leave per year. Half-time workers would receive about half this amount, as the formula counts sick leave hours based upon the total number of hours worked.
The ordinance is more than reasonable in granting exemptions to employers who are concerned about employees taking advantage of the offer. Only employees who have worked for an employer for more than 90 days and at least 18 hours per week in the previous calendar quarter are eligible for paid sick leave. Additionally, employers with fewer than five full-time equivalents are also exempt.
Despite these exemptions, the ordinance does a good job protecting the workers it was designed for. This safeguard is a welcome improvement in protecting public health in Madison. Sick workers who are able to address their illnesses by resting are likely to get better quicker than their counterparts who must work while recovering. When sick workers show up to work, they also put their customers and fellow employees at risk by exposing them to germs and illness. Likewise, when parents can't take off work to care for sick children, they are forced to make a tough decision: leave their children at home alone, send their children to school where they will put fellow students and teachers at risk, or possibly put the family's economic stability at risk by skipping work without pay.
Most employers in Madison already offer adequate paid sick leave for their employees. Some don't, however, and that's why this ordinance is necessary. The Healthy Families ordinance levels the playing field and ensures that all workers, no matter what their incomes, are provided with basic health and economic guarantees.
The Healthy Families initiative is especially important for working women and low-income families. A report issued by the National Partnership for Women and Families revealed that "half of working mothers [49 percent] report that they do not get paid when they stay home to care for a sick child." The number is even higher for women with low-income jobs. That's unacceptable. In families where both parents need to work to support the family, reasonable allowances in the workplace must be granted for parents to perform caregiver roles when a child becomes ill.
2. Senate Bill 1 — Ethics and Campaign Finance Accountability in Wisconsin
Senate Bill 1 would have scrapped the State Elections Board and State Ethics Board and replaced them with a more politically independent Government Accountability Board (GAB).
Currently, there are no checks placed on the State Elections Board — its nine members are appointed by the governor and are not accountable to any legislative oversight. The six-member State Ethics Board must be approved by the state Senate, but it carries no guarantees that multiple political parties must be represented in its ranks, leaving the door open for single-party population of the Board. The recent legislative caucus scandals that have plagued Wisconsin politics should teach us that political party hacks are hardly good judges of ethical conduct.
Senate Bill 1, introduced by Republican Senator Mike Ellis, would have facilitated increased enforcement of Wisconsin's ethics code and campaign finance laws by explicitly granting more enforcement authority to the newly created GAB. Members of the GAB would also be subject to stricter appointment guidelines. All members would have to be approved by the senate; additionally, the bill called for mandatory representation on the GAB from each political party that garners at least 1 percent of the vote in a general election race for statewide office.
Senate Bill 1 was in good shape coming out of the State Senate, where it was overwhelmingly approved last November 28-5. Last week, our state's tradition of clean government was disgraced, however, when assembly leaders killed the bill in a private caucus. As Wisconsinites try to put the legislative caucus scandals behind us, in which five lawmakers (three Republicans, two Democrats) were convicted of election- and ethics-related wrongdoing while in office, true reform is needed to ensure these abuses don't continue.
Senate Bill 1 began to address this issue but now stands no chance of passage this year. Assembly leaders should be ashamed of their actions. These same elected officials should also be concerned that their actions last week will be remembered during the elections this November, when they must account for their disregard of public accountability to their constituents.
I want to thank Joelle for the lively debate this year. As I move on, I'll miss probing her political thoughts and my own on local and state issues. It's been a learning experience for me, and a fun one at that. Good luck in the future!
Liz Sanger ([email protected]) will be graduating in May with comprehensive honors in violin performance and English literature.
