One restaurant employee, speaking in Spanish which was translated by another person into English, said she was fired after she asked her boss for the day off to deal with a root canal.

According to an analysis, “approximately 9,900 tipped workers and 10,400 part-time and recently hired workers currently have no paid leave benefits of any kind and are eligible to receive new leave under the amendment.”

The Earned Sick and Safe Leave Amendment Act of 2013, introduced by Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), would expand on a 2008 bill that provided D.C. workers with between three and seven paid sick days a year. Under the new act, tipped restaurant workers would be covered.

The push from the Paid Sick Days for All Coalition is timed to coincide with Summer Restaurant Week.