Earlier this afternoon, groups working to get paid sick day legislation through the City Council turned their sights to Councilman Erik Dilan, whom they described as a potential swing vote on the issue given that Latino constituents, like many of those in his district, disproportionately work jobs that currently do not provide paid sick leave.
Make the Road New York and New York Communities for Change participated in today’s event, where they claim they delivered 1,800 postcards from his constituents to petition Mr. Dilan on the issue.
“Dilan represents a huge number of low wage workers, of immigrants, of people of color. People who need paid sick days,” Nieves Padilla, a worker organizer at Make the Road, said in a statement. “We just can’t understand Council Member Dilan would side with McDonald’s and Target, and not those who live in his district and put him into office.”
Mr. Dilan, of course, is a congressional candidate against incumbent Rep. Nydia Velázquez, something that Make the Road alluded to in additional statement from Javier Valdez, the co-executive director of the organization.
“I think voters are responding to the issue of paid sick days, particularly in low wage and immigrant communities like this, and any candidate running for office in New York City in 2012 or 2013 would be wise to pay attention,” he said.
