Supreme Court agrees to hear Milwaukee sick leave mandate case

The Milwaukee sick leave mandate case between the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and Milwaukee 9to5 will be heard by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
According to Tom Sheehan, Wisconsin court information officer, oral arguments have not been scheduled as of yet.
“We are pleased the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to consider all the issues related to the case,” said Steve Baas, MMAC director of government affairs. “We believe we have a strong case and that the decision made at the circuit court level was the right one. Just as the first victory was ours, we believe the last will be as well.”
Before oral arguments would be scheduled, the court would want to make sure it has all the information it needs to proceed with an oral argument, Sheehan said.
The case was accelerated in the appeals court, so it has some level of priority, he said.
Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Thomas Cooper ruled in June of 2009 that the proposed Milwaukee sick leave mandate was unconstitutional. Wisconsin District 4 Appeals Court ruled earlier this year that the case should be heard by the Supreme Court.
According to Baas, all written briefs need to be submitted by the middle of May, and the court will schedule oral arguments after that date.
If enacted, the sick leave mandate would require private sector employers in the city of Milwaukee to offer paid sick leave to all employees. Workers would earn one hour of sick leave for 30 hours worked, and up to 9 days of sick leave per year. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees would be required to provide up to five days a year of paid sick time.
Milwaukee 9to5 did not immediately return a request for comment.
– BizTimes Milwaukee