Low Wage Workers Rally to Support Paid Sick Leave

Dozens of low-wage, Spanish-speaking workers descended on Councilman Erik Martin Dilan's district office in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon to deliver 1,800 postcards from his constituents declaring their support for a paid-sick leave bill. But the councilman said he would have been happy to talk to them, had he knew they were coming. "They showed up unannounced," he said. "I didn't know they were coming at all." Dilan is one of 14 Council members to not have sponsored the paid-sick leave bill, which is currently been shelved by Speaker Christine Quinn. Immigrant rights group Make the Road New York organized the postcard delivery yesterday. Dilan is running in a primary against Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who issued this statement to City & State about the rally: "This is a simple matter of justice.  All working people should be given paid time off when they fall ill and can't go to work.   Not only is this the right thing to do, but it makes workers more productive over the long term." Dilan declined to comment on the congresswoman's comment, but said his own views on paid sick leave were evolving. "She's certainly entitled to her opinion, and I wish the group would have told me they were coming. It appears my opponent in this race knew that this group would be coming to my office. But look, I share the sentiment overall, but I want to see what the final bill looks like." From City & State's Heard Around Town, May 10, 2012. To read more from City & State [click here](http://www.cityandstateny.com).