Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order granting two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to workers in the state’s farming and food delivery industries during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The order will affect farmers, food delivery workers, fast food workers, grocery store workers and others involved in the state’s food supply chain who have continued to work even as the state government and local
governments advise residents to stay home during the pandemic.
The order also outlines health and safety standards for the food service industry, such as permitting workers to wash their hands every 30 minutes, or as needed, to ensure proper food safety and workplace sanitation.
Newsom signed the order after discussions with unions representing food service workers as well as the state Legislature’s Latino caucus, which he said brought up the importance of food harvesters and packers to the
state’s food supply chain.
“That sector, by definition, is essential to our livelihoods and our capacity to meet just basic needs through this pandemic,” Newsom said. “And that sector in particular has been hard hit by strife, by challenges in terms of health and safety, by concerns around what is happening within food processing plants and meat packing plants.”
“They’ve worked across differences, they’ve worked together in a collaborative spirit to address the needs of some of the largest grocery store chains in America that happen to be here in the state of California,” Newsom said.
Gift to the unions. More to come…
Who is paying for this?
Who would be against this? These workers have to work when most of us don’t, and thus are more at risk for catching the virus, it is sick leave, not paid vacation. How about a little generosity of spirit for these workers? Them being there means you can still go to the store and get your groceries.
I am against it. The governor should not have the sole power to mandate that anyone pay anyone. This should be a law passed by the legislature not one man. Generosity of spirit has nothing to do with the law. Generosity at someone else’s expense is not generosity at all.
Just wanted to say to the journalist behind Claycord, you are fantastic!!!! I moved to Brentwood and I always come to claycord still for interesting and effective reporting!! Thank you!! If you ever have the time pretty please make a website for us in Brentwood too that I can also check every evening 🙂 it took easy county times way too long to come up with an article about a shooting down the street that happened and I know with your amazing journalism skills you would have been on that story right away!!! It felt lonely, stressful, and uncertain without your reporting.
Hanne Jeppesen
Did NOT say I was against it just wanting to know who is paying for it.
Sorry if I assumed that. However, I’m sure there will be comments here that are against it, and the comment above yours sounds like that person has a problem with it. I guess the State of California is paying for it. I’m a retail worker right now, until a few years ago retail workers did not get sick days. I understand that, because many without a work ethic will call in sick on Saturday and Sunday, leaving those of us that show up short staffed. However, even those with work ethics get sick, a few years ago, the State of California made it a law that retail workers would get 3 sick days per year. For years I did office work, and usually my sick days would be 10 to 14, it was usually up to the owners of the company. The last office job I had, (staffing for a home care agency) I had 12 or 14 days a year, and they could be taken as personal days, meaning if I wanted to do something I could advice my boss in advance I would be taking a personal day. I was a single mother so that really worked out great.
If grocery clerks are not unionized I believe they only have 3 days of sick time.
Executive Order covers groups prone to vote for democrats.
It is after all an election year and given pelosi’s indefensible antics democrats need to do everything possible to retain votes.
He played it up to the unions beautifully. He’s the same as the Orange man, using this as a campaigning stunt. Gavin does the press conferences just like him. I guess if Gavin wants to start being the president he figures he’ll need to act like him too. In case you didn’t know, I’m an INDEPENDENT, I dislike both sides equally. I’m off to get some Ice Cream like Nancy showed us while she is suffering like the rest of us. 🙂
Let me clarify my earlier comments. It seems to me if it is a big company i.e. Safeway, Walmart it would be reasonable for them to pay for it. I know Macy’s pays for few sick days I have. For smaller independent owners it might be a hardship on them if business is already down, so perhaps the state.
but in the end, large or small company; the consumer/taxpayer does pay for it….
The fiscal effects of this mess will haunt us for years to come.
Hanne, your comments were directed towards me so I’ll answer you. I’m against it.
Now, please answer my question: Why should taxpayers give two weeks pay to farmers, food delivery workers, fast food workers, grocery store workers and union workers involved in the state’s food supply chain when they’re not working? Please reply. Thank you, in advance.
Because if they the 2 weeks pay, it is because the got sick on job. It is not vacation time, most companies as I mentioned give their workers 2 weeks sick pay. Retail worker don’t typically get that, because too many take advantage of it, but retail workers, grocery clerks etc. get sick like everyone else, and the often get paid less, so they end up going to work sick.
I think these workers are put at risk everyday, and those of us who shop at grocery stores are grateful. I don’t know if they have to proof their illness is related to the virus. I think you are trying punishing fairly poorly paid workers, because you don’t care for the governor.
After these laws are passed they are often abused because they are written so poorly. The details like; How does someone prove they are sick? Do you need a doctors note? Can you use the time in increments, one hour here one hour there? What if I am home caring for a sick family member? Does it roll over year to year? Do I need to call in before? It ultimately turns into PTO because the only thing the law is clear about is that the business will get hammered if it denies pay or attempts to get proof of the sickness.
Like most of these laws that have well intentions they end up slamming the small business. The nasty big Corporation Safeway already has paid sick leave. Laws like this are one of the reasons chain restaurants, chain grocery markets, and chain big box stores dominate the market place.
Hanne, there are approximately 20 million people who have lost their jobs in the past few weeks, and those people will not receive an additional two weeks of pay. I see the additional two weeks of pay to unionized workers as a favor from the Governor to those workers, those belonging to a union…and the other people being left out…no pay for them even though they have the same financial problems.
Why do the unionized workers deserve an additional two weeks of pay and the non-unionized get nothing?. Please reply. Thank you, in advance.
I’m against it simply because it will reward illegal farm workers who don’t belong in this country.
And don’t give me this nonsense that they are doing the work Americans won’t do, because you don’t know Americans won’t do the work.
So, the Latino Caucus represents illegal aliens? That’s the obvious implication of the article. The state Legislature has a caucus that represents non-citizens. Pathetic.