Appeals court puts San Antonio’s paid sick leave ordinance on pause while legal battle continues

An appeals court has dealt another legal blow to San Antonio’s long-delayed ordinance guaranteeing paid sick time for workers.

In a victory for business groups, the Texas 4th Court of Appeals on Wednesday blocked the city from implementing the rule while it’s contested in court. The three-judge panel agreed with a lower court’s judgment that the rule is preempted by Texas’ existing minimum wage law.

City council adopted the ordinance in 2018 after a successful petition drive by progressive and labor groups, including the Texas AFL-CIO and Texas Organizing Project. That coalition collected 144,000 signatures to get the measure on the citywide ballot that year.

Business groups have opposed the measure, arguing it violates state law.

The ordinance would require employers to give workers an hour of paid sick time for every 30 they work. That rule would affect some 350,000 workers in the Alamo City, which has a high proportion of service-industry jobs.

While 93% of managers and business executives receive paid sick time, just 46% of service-industry workers have that benefit, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 9, 2021.