A coalition of activists said Monday they have more than double the signatures needed to let Dallas voters decide whether private employers should be required to offer paid sick time.

Jose Garza, executive director of Workers Defense Project, said the groups have amassed 110,000 signatures of registered voters in the city. They delivered about four dozen boxes of paperwork Monday to the city secretary's office.

The possible ordinance is primarily aimed at helping service workers -- such as employees of restaurants, leisure industries

-- who don't have the benefits offered by major employers for white-collar jobs.

"These are the people who build our city. These are the people who prepare our food, who care for us and who provide the vital services and jobs that make our economy run and make our economy grow," Garza said. "And right now in Dallas, families are struggling to make ends meet. They are facing difficult choices. They have to choose between taking a pay cut and going to work sick."

The groups are sure to face some opposition because the law would mean an additional cost for some employers. But first, the city secretary's office will have 30 days to verify the signatures.

After the bankers boxes were delivered to City Hall from a U-Haul, City Secretary Bilierae Johnson said she planned to work until midnight to get started on the process.

To get on the ballot, the organizers needed signatures from 10 percent of the registered voters in Dallas. Johnson said the magic number is only 53,756 registered voters rather than the 64,862 figure she gave two months ago. The old number included suspended voter registrations and shouldn't have, she said. The lower number will also save Johnson and her staff some time because they can stop counting once they hit the requirement.

1 / 8Assistant city secretary Jesus Salazar (center) stacks and counts boxes of petitions after a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivers petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. The ordinance would require private employers to allow all employees to accrue at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours of work.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 2 / 8A coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists waits in the security line to enter City Hall to deliver petitions calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 3 / 8Diana Ramirez, of the Workers Defense Project, helps unload a truckload of boxes as a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivers petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 4 / 8Gene Lantz of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans holds a sign during a press conference before a coalition ofÃlabor and faith groups and political activists delivered petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 5 / 8Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano (right) holds a sign during a press conference before a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivered petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 6 / 8Assistant city secretary Jesus Salazar (left) stacks and counts boxes of petitions after a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivers petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 7 / 8Michael Gonzalez, of the Democratic Socialists of America, helps unload a truckload of boxes as a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivers petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) 8 / 8Kristian Hernandez, of Democratic Socialists of America North Texas Office, (far right) helps stack boxes of petitions as a coalition of labor and faith groups and political activists delivers petitions to at City Hall calling for a city ordinance mandating paid sick time to be placed on the November ballot on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

Garza said that the groups wanted to "leave nothing to chance" and that the extra signatures also gave volunteers a chance to talk to more voters.

If the petition is deemed valid, Johnson said she will have 20 days to put two agenda items before the City Council. The council could simply approve the ordinance as it's written without changes or opt to call for the election.

City Council members Omar Narvaez, Philip Kingston and Adam Medrano have lent their support to the ordinance.

Under the proposal, employers with 15 or fewer employees would have to give their workers at least six paid sick days a year. Larger companies would have to provide eight days. The days can roll over, but employers would have the ability to cap the available time to six or eight days. Employees would accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours of work.

The sick time could be used for personal or family medical needs, taking legal action, moving and obtaining victim services.

Independent contractors, government workers and interns would be excluded from the ordinance. And City Hall would have to figure out how to enforce the law.

The initiative is based on an ordinance passed earlier this year by the Austin City Council. And the same groups fighting for the Dallas ordinance are also pushing for a ballot initiative in San Antonio.

But pushback could be coming. Some restaurant owners opposed the ordinance in Austin, and conservative state lawmakers could pre-empt the local laws, which are pushed by a collection of left-leaning labor and social justice groups.

The Greater Dallas Restaurant Association did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday afternoon. The previous executive director, Andy Rittler, said in April that the proposed ordinance could be financially burdensome for restaurants. He also said the rules don't take into account that restaurant employees trade shifts when ill.

Lee Daugherty, who owns Alexandre's Bar in Oak Lawn, supports the ordinance. He said he already offers his employees sick time but won't be surprised to see groups fight against the ballot initiative.

Daugherty said offering paid sick time is "the right thing to do" and "is not a radical idea."

"It's interesting when elected officials, during the flu outbreak, get on TV and say, 'Stay at home,'" Daugherty said. "Well, none of us can."