Winamac town employees who test positive for COVID-19 or have a child who does will get another two days of paid sick leave. The town council approved the measure during a special meeting Thursday, but not without an occasionally heated debate.
Town employees’ ability to use COVID-19 leave ended March 31, but with a resurgence in cases, Council Member Judy Heater felt it needed to be revisited. She noted that parents who have a child test positive for COVID-19 have no choice but to stay home, and she disagreed with Council President Tom Murray’s idea that they could just use vacation time.
“They could just not get paid,” Murray added.
“Well, how many families do you know that can do that, Tommy?” Heater asked.
“Well, but that’s part of life,” Murray replied. “I mean, you know, if you work in a factory and you don’t show up to work – “
“I know that,” Heater interjected. “We’re not a factory. We’re not a factory. We’re the Town of Winamac, and we have always been separate. We have never, never treated our employees like a factory.”
Heater’s motion to continue to pay employees their regular salary if they have to quarantine ultimately died for lack of a second. “You guys are willing to do nothing for these employees,” she told the rest of the council. “You’re willing to do nothing for the employees that have no choice.”
Council Member Dave Schambers said he wasn’t necessarily against bringing back paid COVID leave, but he wasn’t comfortable giving it to employees who’ve chosen not to get vaccinated. “If they’re unvaccinated, they’re not doing their part to try not to be off,” he said. “I mean, I feel like if they’re unvaccinated, I would prefer not to pay them.”
In the end, members unanimously approved President Murray’s motion to direct employees to use their sick, personal, and vacation days, and give them another two sick days if they or a child test positive. Still, Council Member Larry Weaver wants to tighten the town’s COVID-19 rules beyond CDC recommendations, to make sure that close contacts of positive cases stay home from work, if possible.
