The unions representing San Francisco’s city workers rallied Tuesday to cry foul over the billions of dollars the city spends on outside contractors each year. They say some contractors charge up to $300 an hour for workers, sometimes more than doubling the cost of hiring someone in-house, and that the city would be better off hiring more employees to alleviate its yearslong staffing crisis.

“Why not give that work to us and save the taxpayer?” San Francisco Department of Public Works Junior Engineer Jon Gausman said. “We’re not even staffed up. We could be bringing more people in.”

Pushing San Francisco away from its longtime reliance on outside contractors has become a focal point for the coalition of 12 unions, representing over 25,000 city workers, that are in the midst of a contentious contract negotiation with city leaders. The specter of a widespread strike has hung over the city since the unions launched their contract fight last month and may become a central sticking point in Mayor London Breed’s bid to win reelection in November. 

A June 2023 civil grand jury report found that the number of vacancies in the city more than doubled since the Covid pandemic began, causing Muni to run fewer buses, reducing the level of care in local hospitals and jacking up answering times in the 911 call center. City worker unions proposed in their bargaining with the city that San Francisco achieve full staffing in key services by 2025, improve hiring processes based on the grand jury report and balance the upcoming budget by reducing contracting, not cutting vacant positions, according to coalition spokesperson Luke Thibault.

There are currently 3,200 vacant full-time jobs in San Francisco, according to Department of Human Resources spokesperson Jack Hebb. That total represents a lessening of the vacancy crisis, according to Hebb, who said the city’s vacancy rate declined by nearly 30% from January 2023 to January 2024. The city has hired 700 full-time equivalent employees in the past year, bringing its total to 35,200, the highest it’s ever been, Hebb added.

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Lyft has creative control over that iconic van that sits on top of a pole next to the U.S. 101 freeway in San Francisco.

“Notice a little more pink during your drive on the 101? The newly-painted Lyft van is just one of the ways we made ourselves at home,” Lyft wrote on a blog post that has since been deleted.

Lyft has confirmed to TechCrunch that the company leased the historic building, which is just under 7,000 square feet, for its new hub for San Francisco Bay Area drivers. Lyft said the company deleted the post because it was meant to go out tomorrow. Oh well.

Last May, the fate of the van was in question when a Curbed SF reader spotted a “For Rent” sign on a stick near the van. At the time, the owners said they still wanted to keep the advertising and the van. But now that Lyft has its hands on the space, the van that once read “Bell Plumbing” is now bright pink. 

Located at 2300 26th Street in San Francisco, the hub is Lyft’s first dedicated space in California where drivers can hang out with each other, rest their feet and take bathroom breaks. In the next few weeks, the hub will also offer educational sessions and driver recognition events. Check out other pictures of the hub below.

Additional reporting by Sarah Buhr.

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Earlier this year, when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson named Lynn McBee as his workforce czar, he said that boosting workforce development efforts in the city was a “top mayoral priority.” On Monday, a partnership was announced to help with that.

Dallas startup UpSmith and American Residential Services are leading efforts to create “high-purpose, high-pay, high-dignity career opportunities” across Texas for aspiring HVAC technicians through a paid training program that leads to real jobs.

“Our mission is to combat the U.S. skill crisis,” said UpSmith’s CEO and founder, Wyatt Smith, adding that they have a big challenge with more than 1 million job openings in Texas. “To take on those roles and expand, we need a new way of working.”

Through UpSmith’s technology platform — UpSmith.com — which connects talent with employers seeking to identify, qualify, staff and retain skilled tradespeople, ARS, the nation’s largest provider of residential heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning services, is sponsoring candidates to earn credentials as HVAC technicians via paid 8-week training boot camps.

According to Smith, those who complete the program will be offered jobs paying $20-$25 per hour.

“Texas is a proving ground for how to create fast, affordable pathways to jobs of the future,” he said. “Our platforms are open for business.”

“We are excited to announce our partnership with UpSmith in addressing the skilled worker shortage across Dallas and Houston,” said Chris Snow, ARS’ chief human resource officer. “With their support, we will be able to provide enhanced services to our valued customers and communities. The ARS network is proud to pioneer these paid on-ramps to welcome new, hard-working talent into our industry. In addition to creating home services careers, we are inviting bright, ambitious young men and women to build fulfilling careers in a rapidly advancing market.”

McBee said she and Mayor Johnson are “hyper-focused” and working hard to help more Dallas residents move out of poverty. Solutions include providing opportunities for upward mobility and investing in people reaching their fullest potential.

“Workforce Dallas is committed to helping up to 10,000 residents a year upskill for jobs of the future. UpSmith’s tech platform provides a needed link to employers,” she said. “I am pleased UpSmith is launching its workforce training endeavor in North Texas to create pathways for Metroplex residents to gain high-demand credentials in the skilled professions.”

CitySquare Chief Programs Officer Nadia Salibi underscored the value of the partnership.

“At CitySquare, our programs address inequality in access to housing, food, health care, legal services, and employment opportunities,” she said. “As we strive to remove obstacles for so many of our neighbors, we are excited to partner with UpSmith and empower our neighbors through training that can secure better pay and a rewarding, sustainable career.”

Darren Green shared his experience with the training. The former Marine said he went through an identity crisis and needed to find a niche to direct his drive and sense of purpose.

Because he enjoyed working with his hands, and he saw an opportunity for growth, he signed up, graduated from HVAC school and is gainfully employed, doing something that is providing him with many opportunities.

Candidates interested in careers as HVAC technicians should visit UpSmith.com to learn more and apply. Smith, the Upsmith CEO, said the process is simple. Candidates just have to upload a video and pass background and drug tests to be eligible to start in the next two and a half weeks.

“You’ll be a technician by the middle of the fall,” Smith said.

Marva J. Sneed contributed to this report.

This article, originally published in Texas Metro News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and TMN. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.

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ST. LOUIS – Bevor die Giants letzten Winter 171 Millionen US-Dollar für sechs Free Agents verloren haben, bevor sie ein einziges Treffen mit Carlos Correa oder einem Radiologen auf Abruf hatten und bevor sie damit begannen, ihren Kader mit elektrischen Impulsen eines aufstrebenden Spielers neu zu beleben Entwicklungssystem mussten ihre Hauptentscheidungsträger eine scheinbar unbedeutende Entscheidung treffen.

Ob ein 20-jähriger Outfielder geschützt werden soll, der im A-Ball .211 getroffen hat.

Die Giants beschlossen im November, Luis Matos in den 40-Mann-Kader aufzunehmen, und jetzt sieht diese kleine Entscheidung monumental aus. Matos kämpfte sich in knapp zwei Monaten durch die beiden höchsten Minor-League-Levels, er positionierte sich als offensichtliche Alternative, als sich Outfielder Mitch Haniger am Dienstag den Unterarm brach, er gab am Mittwoch sein Debüt in der Major League als Start-Centerfielder und Nr. 2 Batter, und er pfiff einen Single auf dem zweiten Pitch, den er beim 8-5, 10-Inning-Sieg der Giants über die St. Louis Cardinals im Busch Stadium sah.

Matos, der im Dezember 21 Jahre alt wurde, war der jüngste Giants-Spieler seit Madison Bumgarner im Jahr 2009, der sein Debüt gab. Der rechtshändig schlagende Mittelfeldspieler ist nach Jordan Walker von den Cardinals der zweitjüngste Positionsspieler in den Major Leagues. Sein Debüt war vielleicht das am meisten erwartete Debüt eines Giants-Outfielders seit einer oder vielleicht auch zwei Generationen, je nachdem, wie alt man sich durch Chili Davis fühlt.

Matos kam nach 43 Treffern in 107 Fledermäusen für Triple-A Sacramento. In seinen letzten sechs Spielen für die River Cats erzielte er sechs Homeruns, darunter einen in seinem ersten Schlag am Dienstag, bevor er aus der Aufstellung genommen wurde. Sein Begrüßungstext von Manager Gabe Kapler am Dienstagabend war eine Mischung aus Spanisch, Englisch und Feuer-Emojis. („Wie enthusiastisches Feuer“, stellte Kapler klar.) Matos nahm am späten Abend einen Flug nach St. Louis, kam am Mittwochmorgen an seinem Schließfach im Clubhaus der Giants an und wurde vom spanischen Dolmetscher Erwin Higueros flankiert, während er sich mit Reportern traf. Er wurde gefragt: Bist du dafür bereit?

Er wartete nicht darauf, dass die Frage übersetzt wurde. Er brauchte es auch nicht, um zu antworten.

„Ja“, sagte er auf Englisch mit fast schüchternem Selbstvertrauen. “Ich bin bereit.”

Aber die Entscheidung, Matos im November zu schützen, war nicht ohne Zweifel oder Debatte. Jeder einzelne dieser Kaderplätze ist wertvoll. Sich mit einem Interessenten auf niedrigerem Niveau zusammenzutun, selbst wenn dieser über enorme Fähigkeiten und Potenzial verfügt, ist, als würde man eine Keksdose auf das oberste Regal stellen. Wenn dieser Spieler immer noch einen Traum davon entfernt ist, Ihnen in den großen Ligen zu helfen, dann nimmt er einen 40-Mann-Raum ein, ohne Nutzen zu bieten. Wenn uns die Giants mit 107 Siegen im Jahr 2021 etwas beigebracht haben, dann ist es der Wert des direkten Kadernutzens.

Dann gibt es noch die Spieltheorie, die besagt, dass eine Organisation jedes Jahr im Dezember das Risiko eingeht, berechtigte Spieler dem Regel-5-Entwurf auszusetzen. Würde ein anderes Team wirklich einen so jungen Spieler wie Matos abwerben, wenn seine Leistung im Jahr 2022 so wenig auf die Bereitschaft für die große Liga hindeutet? Würde sich dieses Team wirklich dazu verpflichten, ihn die ganze Saison über im aktiven Kader zu behalten?

Die Giants glaubten das nicht. Aber sie wollten auch keine wochenlangen Verdauungsbeschwerden erleben, die nichts mit dem übermäßigen Verzehr an Thanksgiving zu tun hatten. Manche Risiken sind es einfach nicht wert, eingegangen zu werden.

„Die allgemeine Abstammung und das Aufwärtspotenzial haben dazu beigetragen, aber zwei Dinge haben uns dazu verleitet, ihn zu beschützen und zu glauben, dass jemand über ihn würfeln könnte“, sagte Giants-Präsident Farhan Zaidi am Mittwoch per SMS.

„Erstens waren seine Defensivwerte im letzten Jahr wirklich gut. Und zweitens war die Kontaktrate trotz der Gesamtstatistik immer noch ausgezeichnet. Beides gab uns das Gefühl, dass er in die großen Ligen aufsteigen und schneller einen Beitrag leisten könnte, als es auf den ersten Blick in der letzten Offseason schien.“

Hier ist der andere Nachteil: Wenn Sie in der Lage sind, Ihr Farmsystem aufzufüllen, sind Sie weniger auf die Flexibilität von 40 Mann angewiesen, um Verzichtsansprüche geltend zu machen. Letztes Jahr forderten die Giants 15 Spieler von der Befreiung. Dieses Jahr haben sie ihren ersten Platz noch nicht erreicht. Klar, es gab einen kleinen Deal für einen Matt Beaty hier und einen Cal Stevenson dort. Darin Ruf kam zurück, um Hallo zu sagen, während bei den Giants mehrere Rechtshänder außer Gefecht waren. Aber zum größten Teil haben die Giants Kaderlücken – die kosmetischen Kratzer und die großen Schnittwunden – von Spielern innerhalb ihres Systems geflickt.

Matos war der achte Giant, der in dieser Saison sein Debüt in der Major League gab. Nur die Cincinnati Reds haben mehr Spieler debütiert. Matos schloss sich Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey, Blake Sabol, Ryan Walker, Keaton Winn, Tristan Beck und Brett Wisely an, die alle zu Siegen beigetragen haben und deren Leistung auf zukünftiges Potenzial schließen lässt. Auf dieser Liste gibt es keinen Quad-A- oder Organisationsplayer. Am Mittwoch hatten die acht Rookies zusammen 2,7 bWAR erreicht. Wisely war der einzige unter ihnen mit einem negativen Input (minus -0,1 bWAR), und selbst er wäre wahrscheinlich auf der positiven Seite gewesen, wenn er etwas mehr Glück beim Schlagen gehabt hätte.

Und da ist noch Kyle Harrison, der wohl beste Linkshänder-Pitching-Kandidat bei Triple A und von dem die meisten Vereinsfunktionäre immer noch erwarten, dass er in dieser Saison den größten Rookie-Einfluss auf den Major-League-Klub haben wird. Und da ist noch der Giants-Spieler, der auf den meisten Interessentenlisten immer noch an erster Stelle steht, Shortstop Marco Luciano, der nach einer hartnäckigen Rückenverletzung im Double-A Richmond endlich gesund ist.

Beeindruckender als die Höhe der Rookie-Beiträge ist nur die Entwicklung dieser Rookies in die großen Ligen. Die Aufstellung am Mittwoch umfasste drei Spieler – Matos, Bailey und Schmitt –, die die meiste oder die gesamte letzte Saison bei High-A Eugene spielten. Winn, der einen Tag, nachdem er bei seinem Major-League-Debüt eine Vier-Inning-Parade verbucht hatte, als Option ausgewählt wurde, startete letzte Saison ebenfalls in Eugene. Aber niemand verbrauchte mehr Raketentreibstoff als Matos, der letzte Saison mit einer Quadrizepsverletzung und seiner eigenen übermäßigen Aggressivität am Teller zu kämpfen hatte.

Als Matos begann, alles zusammenzustellen, gab es in den oberen Nebenfächern nicht viel, was seinen Aufstieg verhindern konnte. Und indem sie ihn im November beschützten, erlaubten die Giants sich vorzustellen, dass es möglich sei.

„Wir alle wissen, dass die Spielerentwicklung sehr schnell voranschreiten kann, insbesondere bei Spielern mit großer Herkunft“, sagte Kapler. „Als ich zum ersten Mal nach San Francisco kam, ganz am Anfang meiner Zeit hier, hörte ich von einem Jungen mit einem tollen Schwung, der den Baseball in alle Teile des Feldes lenken konnte, in der Verteidigung spielen konnte und ein guter Alleskönner war -rund um den Sportler.

„Wie Sie erwähnt haben, ging es bei ihm ziemlich schnell. Er hat kein tolles Jahr hinter sich. Wir waren uns also nicht sicher, was uns für das Jahr 2023 erwartet. Aber es ist wirklich gut für die Organisation, dass diese Leute so schnell vorangekommen sind. Es ist auch eine gute Erinnerung daran, dass die Spielerentwicklung noch im Gange ist. Und dies wird nicht ohne Unebenheiten und Wendungen verlaufen. Ich denke, wir sehen bei Casey, dass es Momente des Kampfes geben wird, selbst für Spieler, die sofort gute Leistungen erbringen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass Patrick Bailey nicht das ganze Jahr über perfekt sein wird.

„Aber es ist eine wirklich gute Erinnerung daran, dass wir an unseren Jungs festhalten und ihnen mehr Chancen geben werden, auch wenn sie Schwierigkeiten haben, denn es lohnt sich.“ Spieler, die sich auf Major-League-Niveau weiterentwickeln und besser werden, helfen den Teams, zu gewinnen. Ich glaube nicht, dass es für uns einen größeren Einfluss darauf gibt, zu gewinnen und möglicherweise in die Nachsaison zu kommen, als dass einige unserer jungen Spieler die Arbeit leisten, die sie gerade leisten.“

Die Giants haben Matos nicht befördert, um für einen vorübergehenden Funken zu sorgen. Sie haben plötzlich einen Mangel an rechtshändigen Außenfeldspielern, da Haniger, ihr teuerster Free-Agent-Zukauf im vergangenen Winter, vor einer saisonbedrohlichen Operation an seinem gebrochenen Unterarm steht. Austin Slater ist der einzige andere rechtshändig schlagende Outfielder im Kader, es sei denn, die Giants würden Thairo Estrada im linken Feld belassen. Matos ist also hier, um einen Bedarf zu decken, der, wie es aussieht, dauerhaft sein wird.

Matos klatschte vor Freude auf dem Weg zur ersten Base, nachdem er am Mittwoch im ersten Inning einen fehlerfreien Single ins linke Feld geschlagen hatte. Bei seinem nächsten Schlagangriff begab er sich auf die zweite Base. Bei einem Flyout am Ende des Schlages auf das linke Feld im sechsten Durchgang verfehlte er den Lauf nur knapp. Dann, wie Kapler es lachend beschrieb: „Er lernte den Giants-Baseball kennen. Wir haben hier in deinem ersten Spiel für dich getroffen.“

Die Giants lagen im siebten Spiel nach Mike Yastrzemskis RBI-Single mit 5:3 zurück. Kapler entschied sich für das Linkshänder-Matchup gegen Jordan Hicks und schickte den Pinch-Hitter Michael Conforto nach oben, der am Boden landete.

„Ich war nicht überrascht“, sagte Matos über Higueros. „Ich weiß, dass das Team das tut. Der Manager hat mit mir gesprochen und mir die Beweggründe und die Strategie dahinter erklärt, und ich verstehe: Holen Sie sich direkt jemand anderen mit mehr Erfahrung, der dem Team helfen kann, zurückzukommen und zu gewinnen.“

Bis zu ihrem letzten Schlag taten sie es. Yastrzemskis zweifacher Homerun glich den Spielstand aus und verwandelte die bekanntermaßen fröhlichen Fans der Cardinals in Buhvögel. Dann schlug Estrada Yastrzemski, der im 10. Durchgang der automatische Läufer war. Mit dem Sieg erreichten die Giants zum ersten Mal in dieser Saison vier Spiele über .500 und erzielten im Busch Stadium ihren ersten Drei-Spiele-Sieg. Um den letzten Drei-Spiele-Sieg der Giants in St. Louis zu finden, muss man zur vorherigen Version des Busch Stadium (das sich gegenüber dem aktuellen Stadion befand) und zur Saison 1998 zurückgehen.

Im Jahr 1998 waren es noch drei Jahre, bis Matos das Licht der Welt erblickte.

Mittlerweile ist er vollständig angekommen. Eine Gruppe von Onkeln, Tanten und Cousins ​​fuhr über Nacht zwölf Stunden lang von Denver, um dem Spiel beizuwohnen. Sie hielten handgefertigte Schilder auf einer neongrünen Plakatwand: FAMILIA MATOS PRESENTE und De Bobures para la MLB.

Die Familie Matos ist hier. Von Bobures bis zu den großen Ligen.

Seine wichtigsten Fans, die Menschen, die er zuerst anrief und die sich die Tränen aus den Augen wischten, als sie von seiner Beförderung erfuhren, waren zurück in Bobures, einer kleinen Stadt am Südufer des Maracaibo-Sees in Venezuela. Er bewahrt den Baseball von seinem ersten Schlag auf, um ihn seinem Vater Jose Luis und seiner Mutter Yoelis zu schenken. Sie waren nicht da, um das Debüt ihres Sohnes mitzuerleben. Möglicherweise können sie ihn für einige Zeit nicht persönlich spielen sehen.

In Caracas gibt es kein US-Konsulat, und angesichts der Massenmigration von Venezolanern aufgrund jahrelanger politischer und wirtschaftlicher Instabilität schränkt die US-Einwanderungspolitik die Anzahl der für die Einreise in das Land erforderlichen Touristenvisa stark ein. Matos sagte, seine Eltern hätten nächsten Monat einen Termin, um ihren Antrag beim US-Konsulat in Brasilien prüfen zu lassen. Sie müssen nach Brasilia reisen und persönlich am Vorstellungsgespräch teilnehmen. Matos hofft, dass sein 15-jähriger Bruder Luis David sie begleiten kann.

Wie Matos letzte Woche in einem Interview in Sacramento über seinen Vater sagte: „Er sagt, er wird im Stadion wohnen.“

Etwa eine Stunde vor dem ersten Pitch am Mittwoch, als die Giants ihre Früharbeit beendeten, bemerkte Qualitätskontrolltrainer Nick Ortiz, dass die Giants drei venezolanische Spieler – Matos, Wilmer Flores und Estrada – hintereinander schlagen würden in der Aufstellung. Ortiz erfuhr von den Problemen, die Matos‘ Eltern mit ihren Reisedokumenten hatten, und blickte über die Grasfläche hinaus. Er sagte, er hoffe, dass die Giants nun in der Lage sein könnten, einige Fäden in der Hand zu halten, da Matos ein großer Ligaspieler mit einem erhöhten Profil sei. Es ist nicht nur ein Spitzengehalt, das ein Leben verändern kann.

„Der Aufstieg in die großen Ligen ist für alle wichtig, aber es bedeutet nicht für alle das Gleiche“, sagte Ortiz. „Er ist nicht der Einzige, der es schafft.“

(Foto: Jeff Curry / USA Today)

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Mirna Arana mops the floor after playing with her son in her home in Oakland, Calif., Oct. 25, 2021. Arana works as a housecleaner in San Francisco and is hopeful about a proposed law that would give domestic workers paid sick leave. Bronte Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP hide caption

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Bronte Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Mirna Arana mops the floor after playing with her son in her home in Oakland, Calif., Oct. 25, 2021. Arana works as a housecleaner in San Francisco and is hopeful about a proposed law that would give domestic workers paid sick leave.

Bronte Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

SAN FRANCISCO — Nannies, house cleaners, gardeners and other San Francisco domestic workers must be given paid sick leave under a groundbreaking law approved by city leaders this week.

The city’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed the legislation, which the San Francisco Chronicle said is the first of its kind in the US

The measure would affect 10,000 people in the city who work in private homes cleaning, cooking, tending children, garden or providing non-medical care for seniors or disabled residents.

Supporters of the law said that workforce is typically low-paid with many women and immigrants.

“I think these people have been taking care of people in San Francisco for a long time, and it’s about time we care for them,” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who co-sponsored the measure with Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

The measure addresses the fact that many domestic workers may work for multiple households, the Chronicle said.

It creates aa portable paid sick leave benefit, so workers would earn slivers of paid sick leave from each employer and then consolidate them. An employer would pay one hour of wages into the sick leave fund for every 30 hours of service from a domestic worker.

The proposal has more steps before it’s final

To take effect, the measure needs a second vote by the supervisors and must be signed by Mayor London Breed. It would then take several months for the city to hire a private company to administer the benefits program, according to the Chronicle.

Kimberly Alvarenga, executive director of the California Domestic Workers Coalition, said the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of domestic workers because “if they didn’t go to work, they didn’t get paid.”

“If they became ill with the virus, if a family members became ill with the virus, they had no choice,” Alvarenga said. “This ordinance will provide some equity so when they become ill, they can take a day to take care of themselves, children or family members.”

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Related Practices & Jurisdictions

Adding to seemingly ever-shifting paid sick leave requirements in different places, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has issued updated guidance under the San Francisco paid sick leave ordinance. The City approved the nation’s first paid sick leave ordinance in 2007. The new changes warrant attention from San Francisco employers, as they include a further limit on when employers may request a medical note for an absence and guidance on the use of sick leave for COVID -19 reasons. They also coincide with California’s enactment of a new supplemental COVID-19 paid sick leave mandate, retroactive to January 1, 2022.

Employer Verification of Paid Sick Leave

In San Francisco, as well as elsewhere, a common employer question is when they can request a doctor’s note from employees who claim paid sick leave. Typically, San Francisco has allowed employers to request a note in some cases. The OLSE previously issued guidance to San Francisco employers concerning this question: “Policies or practices that require a doctor’s note or other documentation for the use of paid sick leave of three or fewer consecutive workdays shall be deemed unreasonable.”

The new guidance now requires an absence of at least six days. The agency views policies and practices requiring a doctor’s note or other documentation for an absence of five or fewer consecutive workdays as “unreasonable.” Employers may require doctor’s notes or other documentation when an employee uses paid sick leave for more than five consecutive workdays (whether full or partial days). However, if an employee uses paid sick leave for COVID-19 reasons and is not under a doctor’s care, the employer shall accept the employee’s attestation of the need for paid sick leave pursuant to current Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

According to the OLSE, this updated guidance is temporary. The agency thus may revert back to its original position whenever the declared COVID-19 public health emergency ends, or the OLSE otherwise amends its guidance further.

Use of Paid Sick Leave for COVID-19 Related Reasons

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the OLSE issued guidance on when employees may use paid sick leave. In addition to the other permitted uses ordinarily allowed under the San Francisco ordinance, the OSLE added that employees may use paid sick leave in the following situations:

• Public health officials or healthcare providers require or recommend an employee isolate or quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19;

• A COVID-19 vaccination appointment or vaccine side effects;

• The employee’s business or a work location temporarily ceases operations in response to a public health order or other public official’s recommendation;

• Care for a family member getting vaccinated, experiencing vaccine side effects, or who is not sick, but whom public health officials or healthcare providers have required or recommended isolate or quarantine; and/or

• Care for a family member whose school, child care provider, senior care provider, or work temporarily ceases operations in response to public health or other public official’s recommendation.

Eligibility for Paid Sick Leave

Now, in addition, the OLSE’s updated guidance clarified who is not eligible for San Francisco paid sick leave:

• Employees who have been laid off by their employer are no longer eligible; other

• Employees who have reduced their hours or eliminated cannot use paid sick leave to compensate for such reductions or eliminations. Employees who remain scheduled to work may continue to use their accrued paid sick leave for any qualifying reason for any portion of their reduced and remaining scheduled hours they are unable to work for qualifying reasons.

take away

In addition to California’s new statewide supplemental COVID-19 paid sick leave mandate, employers in San Francisco should review their paid sick leave policies and practices to ensure compliance with the new local rules. Employers subject to state and local paid sick leave requirements must comply with both laws, including when local ordinances are more protective. Employers should consult with their employment law counsel to understand the legal requirements in order to assure compliance.

© 2022 ArentFox Ship LLPNational Law Review, Volume XII, Number 77

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Related Practices & Jurisdictions

While many employers are concerned with complying with the recently passed statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave, employers should also be aware of the interactions between regular paid sick leave and COVID-19 related absences. As such, employers are well-served to stay current on the latest updates for San Francisco’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance.

The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) recently issued a temporary update to its guidance regarding San Francisco’s Paid Sick Leave ordinance and COVID-19. The following is a summary of the temporary changes made to that guidance.

Policies Requiring Doctor’s Notes

Under the temporarily amended guidance, policies or practices that require a doctor’s note or other documentation for the use of paid sick leave of more than five consecutive workdays (whether full or partial days) shall be deemed presumptively reasonableprovided an employee is using paid sick leave for a COVID-19 related reason and is not under a doctor’s carethe employer shall accept the employee’s attestation of the need for paid sick leave pursuant to current CDC guidelines and OLSE Rule 2.4, pertaining to potential abuse of sick leave. This change is temporary and only in effect for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

When the public health emergency ends, or upon a decision to revoke this temporary guidance, the guidance will revert back to the previous rule which stated that requiring a doctor’s note for the use of paid sick leave of three or fewer consecutive workdays shall be deemed unreasonable . The previous rule also stated that practices that required a doctor’s note for the use of paid sick leave of more than three workdays was deemed reasonable.

COVID-19 Related Reasons for Use of Paid Sick Leave

The temporary guidance sets forth several COVID-19 specific reasons for which an employee may use San Francisco Paid Sick Leave. Those reasons are:

• The employee takes time off work because public health officials or healthcare providers require or recommend an employee isolate or quarantine to prevent the spread of disease.

• The employee takes time off work for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment or vaccination side effects.

• The employee takes time off work because the employee’s business or a work location temporarily ceases operations in response to a public health or other public official’s recommendation.

• The employee takes time off work because the employee needs to provide care for a family member to attend a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, who is experiencing vaccination side effects, or who is not sick but who public health officials or healthcare providers have required or recommended isolate or quarantine.

• The employee takes time off work because the employee needs to provide care for a family member whose school, childcare provider, senior care provider, or work temporarily ceases operations in response to a public health or other public official’s recommendation.

Finally, the guidance makes it clear that workers who have been laid off by their employers are not eligible for paid sick leave. Employees also are not allowed to use sick leave to supplement a reduction in hours. The guidance states that leave is only available to use for qualifying reasons when an employee is unable to work a portion of their scheduled hours.

Jackson Lewis PC © 2022National Law Review, Volume XII, Number 66

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San Francisco has guaranteed paid sick leave to all workers in the city for nearly 15 years. Now she wants to make sure the city’s 10,000 or so domestic workers have a real shot at receiving the benefit.

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed an ordinance creating a transferable benefits system that would allow workers to combine hours from multiple employers to count towards their sick pay.

What will likely be a mobile app is being developed to count hours and due dates and help workers and those who hire them make their arrangements, according to Hillary Ronen, the supervisor who introduced the new rule along with California’s Domestic workers has written coalition.

“Under current law, all San Francisco workers are entitled to paid sick leave based on hours worked,” Ronen told her fellow board members before voting 11-0 to approve the measure. “Although they have the right to paid sick leave, in reality very few domestic workers have access to this benefit.”

San Francisco law, which went into effect in February 2007, requires employers to provide employees with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. But the hours worked for different jobs could not be included in a single count, so working 15 hours for one household and 15 hours for another would not result in an hour’s sick time.

Domestic workers can work for up to 20 different employers each month, making accumulated paid sick leave unattainable. Additionally, the people who hire housekeepers, caregivers and landscapers may not even be aware of sick leave policies or how they operate.

The difficulties were particularly acute with COVID-19so many Low earners continued to work even while they were sick because they needed the paycheck, according to work advocates.

The new regulation was welcomed Wednesday by Mujeres Unidas y Activas, or MUA, a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women based in San Francisco.

“We hope that San Francisco’s portable power system will serve as a model for other cities in the Bay Area and for the rest of the state,” the group said. “Making bailout accessible is not just a matter of equity, it’s also part of our vision for the future of the domestic work industry.”

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Few of San Francisco residents left the city for sunny Miami during the pandemic, but that could change if the Miami Mayor and two tech investors get their way.

Two billboards designed as mock tweets by Miami’s Mayor Francis Suarez made their debut on the streets of downtown San Francisco this week, part of a campaign to attract remote workers to Florida’s burgeoning technology center.

“Are you thinking of moving to Miami? DM me, ”it says on a billboard labeled with Suarez’s Twitter handle that looms over an Interstate 80 exit into downtown San Francisco.

Another billboard encouraged residents to send a message to Suarez, showing a picture of a laptop on a beach with the caption, “You may as well code from here.”

The billboards are the result of months of collaboration between two tech-friendly Miami residents: Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Shervin Pishevar, an early investor in Uber and Airbnb, according to the Miami Herald. The couple, both vocal supporters of Miami’s tech scene, reportedly began discussing ideas via email in December.

Suarez wasn’t part of the planning process, but he unsubscribed on the billboards, the Miami Herald reported.

Pishevar is said to have paid for the two ads. AdQuick, the company that sold the two poster ads, wasn’t immediately available for comment Thursday night. The average cost to rent a billboard in San Francisco is $ 2,740, according to the company’s website.

The faux tweet ad campaign comes as Suarez tries to capitalize on the growing exodus of San Francisco tech companies amid the pandemic. The Republican mayor cemented his role as Miami tech cheerleader with a Twitter exchange in mid-December.

“What if we move Silicon Valley to Miami?” Wrote venture capitalist Delian Asparouhov, to which Suarez replied, “How can I help?” The exchange quickly went viral and Suarez gained thousands of new followers.

San Francisco residents left the city in record numbers last year, but most didn’t get far. While a vocal minority headed for cheaper, more business-friendly states like Texas and Florida, most moved to other Bay Area counties, according to the United States Postal Service.

Nora Mishanec is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email to nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com

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By Kimberly Alvarenga

Special for the examiner

As a child, I have vivid memories of my mother who worked as a domestic maid in San Francisco to help us lead a better life. Every day she left the house early in the morning while it was still dark. I can still see her silhouette slowly moving to try to catch the 14 mission bus.

I remember being the first child to be dropped off at school and sitting alone on a bench because they had to go to work before their employers went to their own jobs. She was a single mother and, like many women who immigrated here, looked after the elderly or other people’s children.

She never took a day off to take care of me. She even worked when she was sick and her bones ached because when she wasn’t working she wasn’t paid and couldn’t put food on our table.

Thousands of workers still experience similar conditions in The City today. Many labor laws fail to address the specific needs of this industry, so making changes to domestic workers often takes a long and consistent effort to gain new rights and bring those rights to life in their lives.

The road to winning the San Francisco Access To Paid Sick Leave Ordinance recently passed by the board of directors is no exception.

Domestic workers have been excluded from many basic health and safety measures in the past. These exclusions are deeply rooted in the long tradition of slavery and racism against black people in our country. Domestic workers, who were primarily a black workforce, were deliberately excluded from labor laws when they were first drafted in the early 20th century. As a result, the domestic worker industry remains largely unregulated and excluded from the protection that other workers enjoy.

The effects of these exclusions can still be seen in how this workforce remains invisible when the legislature is legislating. The uniqueness of the domestic worker industry, such as working for multiple individual employers and behind closed doors, can further marginalize workers and make it more difficult to address violations and needs compared to other workplaces.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that the health of domestic workers must be a priority. They were among the key workers who continued their jobs on the front lines of the pandemic. Domestic workers kept going to work caring for those most at risk from the virus with no health and safety protection, no access to paid sick leave, and no economic safety net when they got sick. Many could not take the time to support sick and dying family members as their communities were among the hardest hit in the city. Others stayed home with no options, but at the cost of losing vital incomes.

In the midst of this crisis, domestic workers decided that access to paid sick leave must be a priority at the community level, while we at the California Domestic Workers Coalition led a state-level health and safety campaign.

The Access to Paid Sick Leave Ordinance makes San Francisco one of the first cities in the country to introduce a transferable benefit system for domestic workers to finally get paid sick leave. The system will make it easier for domestic workers to calculate and offset paid sick leave and will help domestic employers contribute to the amounts owed. Domestic workers can accumulate paid sick leave from multiple employers through a centralized account that they can access directly through an app or web-based platform.

As San Francisco continues its tradition of innovative labor rights leadership, the ordinance serves as a beacon for other cities, not just in California but across the country. The provision of safety net services is not just a matter of fairness and correcting a historical injustice, it is part of our vision for the future of the domestic work industry.

My mother worked as a domestic servant for most of her life. She passed away earlier this year and I wonder what she would say if I could tell her now, after a life of hard work looking after families all over town, that she could take the day off to take care of yourself.

While my mother never saw this new reality that domestic workers are building for themselves, there are still thousands of domestic workers today who wake up before sunrise and take their children to school early to support their families while doing all the other work enable.

It has been a long and hard-won road for many, but today we celebrate this important and historic step in promoting the dignity and rights of domestic workers.

Kimberly Alvarenga is a director of the California Domestic Workers Coalition.

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