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Small businesses prepare for mandatory paid sick leave starting Monday

By Joanna Small
By Joanna Small

Starting Monday all businesses in Washington State will have to offer their employees paid sick leave that includes part-time and seasonal workers.

We went to a Snohomish County restaurant to find out about both the pros and cons of this voter-approved initiative.

Stepping into Ken Ong’s kitchen is like entering a studio; he grills up edible art.  And while it’s impossible to be a starving artist when you own a restaurant, he understands the plight of pursuing a less lucrative passion.   He left a 20-year career in IT to take over Claire’s Diner in Edmonds with his wife.

“Cash flow wise IT is a lot more—money comes in and you see that very fixed,” Ken told us.

Running a restaurant means your income is a bit more variable, Ken says.

“The average profit margin is between 3 and 6 percent on average,” he explained.

And in the two years Ken has been at the helm of Claire’s minimum wage has gone up twice. It will hit $11.50 next month.

At the exact same time Ken, like every business in Washington State regardless of size, will have to start offering his nearly 30 employees—most of whom are part time—paid sick leave.

Workers will now get an hour paid for every 40 hours worked.  So longtime employees like Christine Budd, who have never had that luxury, are pretty happy. It’s been a nasty flu season so far.

“This year, yesterday I was sick,” she said.

And honestly when they’re happy, Ken is happy too.

“Happier employee, better quality of work, better output—we support that totally,” Ken explained.

So like any good artist he’s been getting creative; he’s replaced every light with energy-efficient bulbs, purchased all new energy-efficient kitchen equipment and shopped around for food vendors.

“I even go out and get the merchandise myself, get the supplies myself just to save on delivery costs,” Ken concluded.

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