[Southack]

"Employers hate this bill because it gives people the cushion to actually take the 6 weeks. Many people couldn't afford to take 6 weeks unpaid leave off work. So, it is a negative for business, but they are not directly paying for this bill."

The unintended consequences of this bill will prove to be good for business, after the dust settles anyway.

Consider that any business that can survive without a given employee for 6 straight weeks in a row, probably doesn't need said employee (thus placing said employee on the short-list when the next round of downsizing arrives).

And on the other side of the coin, businesses in California will turn more and more towards paying for production rather than paying for time. Why pay salaries when one can pay for output (e.g. commissions and achievement plans such as paying $5 for each widget that a worker assembles)?

Thus, California will see a marked trend towards outsourcing, contracting out work to either individuals (who may even work at corporate facilities) or 3rd-party firms.

So how does the self-employed plumber in California get to take 6 weeks paid "family-leave"?

Does Joe Homeowner pay the plumber for NOT fixing a leak for 6 weeks? Of course not!

And just as homeowners won't be paying for this ill-thought-out law, neither will California businesses. Instead of hiring new employees, California businesses will engage in a combination of overtime, relocating, and outsourcing, as well as moving more and more towards paying for output instead of paying for time.

[Dog Gone]

Too many workers will see this as a benefit of up to 6 weeks vacation per year at half pay, in addition to any other vacation and sick time. As pointed out above, the deductions are woefully inadequate to pay for this program.

If this is the start of this program, then it will be expanded to cover all employers, and the staggering cost will also be shifted to all employers. It's going to be cost-prohibitive to be a California business, which is why they are so anxious that other states adopt a similar law. If they can make everyplace else as bad for business, there is less reason to relocate.

[dfwgator]

And just as homeowners won't be paying for this ill-thought-out law, neither will California businesses. Instead of hiring new employees, California businesses will engage in a combination of overtime, relocating, and outsourcing, as well as moving more and more towards paying for output instead of paying for time.

Bingo! And ultimately when the other states pass this (and they will), that outsourcing goes offshore.