Council members will go back to the issue in two months to consider implementing an ordinance that would give paid sick leave to all workers
PRINCETON - Three council members will spend the next couple of months discussing whether to bring a mandatory paid sick leave ordinance to Princeton employers.
The Princeton logo designed by town resident Jeff Leonard. Council members Heather Howard, Lance Liverman and Patrick Simon make up a "working group" which was formed during a special council meeting Thursday night to discuss the issue.
The group will consider whether Princeton should join the growing list of New Jersey municipalities that make employers provide sick leave pay for their workers.
The decision to form a group comes after months of discussion involving business owners, council members and New Jersey Working Families - an organization that has been pushing for the ordinance for months.
Those discussions came to a head during a time for public comments at the start of the meeting Thursday night.
While most speakers were supportive of bringing paid sick leave to Princeton workers, some had reservations about how the decision would be carried out and who could be affected.
Jeff Nathanson, a member of the Princeton Merchant's Association (PMA), said that extending paid sick leave benefits to all workers, including part-time workers, would harm local businesses.
Nathanson and another member of the PMA told council members that a sick leave ordinance similar to the one passed in New Brunswick in December - which did not extend the benefits to people working under 20 hours a week - would be a good model.
"Those who really need the money are working 20 plus hours and do deserve the benefits," he told council.
But other speakers disagreed and urged council members to extend the benefits to all workers.
Craig Garcia, a representative for New Jersey Working Families told council members that he had concerns about Princeton adopting an ordinance similar to the one in New Brunswick for that very reason.
"Part-time workers are more than just kids trying to make a buck," Garcia told council members. He added that part-time workers - who often work multiple jobs - deserve the same paid sick leave benefits that full-time workers would receive.
Council members decided that Howard, Liverman and Simon should return to council in May with what they've discussed.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.