Posted on 05/15/2009 7:03:35 PM PDT by reaganaut1
A long-stalled effort to guarantee American workers paid sick days takes a big step forward Monday with the introduction of legislation by Congressional Democrats.
The proposal went nowhere during the presidency of George W. Bush, but as a senator and then a presidential candidate, Barack Obama backed it, and Michelle Obama embraced the idea last week in a talk to business leaders.
Now women’s groups, labor unions and other supporters are voicing optimism about its prospects.
“The last eight years, you kept clawing and scratching and didn’t get anywhere, but we have a real opportunity now,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who along with Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts will introduce the measure. “There’s something wrong when people have to choose between their jobs and taking care of themselves or their families when someone is sick.”
Business groups are vowing to block the legislation, arguing that the recession makes this an inopportune time to create a new mandate that they say would raise costs for employers.
“Given that small businesses are barely able to keep their heads above water in this economy, we don’t think this is the right legislation to be pushing right now,” said Susan Eckerly, senior vice president at the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small-business owners.
Supporters, on the other hand, say the legislation is especially timely now, given the swine flu epidemic.
The bill, the Healthy Families Act, would be binding on employers that had 15 or more workers. It would guarantee employees one paid hour off for each 30 hours worked, enabling them to earn up to seven paid sick days a year. They would be entitled to claim their days when they or a child, a parent, a spouse or someone else close to them became ill.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Of course they wouldn't let this manufactured crisis go to waste.
Democrats want to increase the expenses of businesses in a severe recession. What idiots.
Government has no busy being involved in things like this.
The continuing loss of manufacturing jobs to Third World countries puzzles analysts.
Talk about "round about and Mickey Mouse".
Why not just shred the Constitution tomorrow and save the time required via slow death?
The higher the unemployment rate goes, the more the public will clamor for more Government Salvation, which the Dems will continue to give them.
Why waste a crisis, right?
You nailed it. If gov't is going to increase my cost here, simple math says I'll have to reduce it somewhere else. So, either outright laying people off, or the cancellation of these benefits or all of the above if severe enough.
Many companies combined their vacation days with sick days. This was because many people were using their sick days for vacation days. Abuse lost the sick days in the work place.
Dear Employee,
Good news! The government has mandated the you be given 7 paid days of vacation time per years.
Unfortunately, we must reduce you annual vacation days by 7 to pay for this. Oh, we will also require a signed doctors excuse for any sick leave taken, which we will verify with the doctors office.
Thank You,
Human Resources
I can see, as a business owner, if you have 20 or so employees, I’d be tempted to let enough of them go to get under the 15 employee limit.
And as far as you not hiring any more, Atlas would indeed be shrugging. The ripples will be felt throughout the land. It’s the only way they will pay any attention short of a revolution against them.
That's really going to help the employees now isn't it Barack Hussein? These idiots really think that the employers are just going to bend over and take it while they drive our businesses into the ground.
Pfft. I already get 10 paid sick days, though I accrue them. I once worked at a place where we got 20. Working at large, professional corporations can have its advantages. The libs who decry them have no idea what they’re talking about—but then again, they probably never worked at one.
What would make me really happy would be the ability to buy additional vacation time. I’d even be willing to pay a premium for it. Two weeks just sucks. I know that after ten years I’ll have three weeks, but when you’re a software engineer it’s really hard to be at any one organization that long. We’re often looked upon as hired guns and it’s easy to find ourselves laid off—or stagnating (from a technical standpoint), so sometimes in the name of self-preservation we’re forced to switch jobs to stay current.
Business will more then 15 employees but probably less then 30 will probably get creative and create two business out of one.
My guess is that the dems endgame is to have the Chinese leadership and businessmen drink themselves to death from all of the celebrating they do over our loss constantly being their gain. A lame strategy if you ask me.
Why seven days? Wouldn’t 10 sick days be better?
And if ten sick days is better, wouldn’t 20 days be great?
And if 20 sick days is great, wouldn’t 40 sick days be splendid?
And if 40 sick days is splendid, wouldn’t 80 sick days be terrific?
And if 80 sick days is terrific, wouldn’t 160 sick days a year be fabulous?
I just don’t see how FedGov can limit this to seven sick days. I mean, how cruel and inhuman can an employer be? < /s>
I agree on both points. Good companies and good employers find ways to take care of good employees. On principle, I oppose the idea of another mandate, but an employer who can't find a way to work the issue so that people aren't penalized and don't come to work where they spread disease is an employer who doesn't deserve good employees.
USSR, where the state pretended to pay the workers and the workers pretended to work. Coming here.
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