In the News...
March 29, 2013 | The Huffington Post | link to article
New York's Paid Sick Leave Bill May Serve As Model For U.S.
Starting in April 2014, New York will require business with 20 or more employees to provide five paid sick days to their workers, and business that don't reach the size limit will be required to offer unpaid sick leave. On October 1, 2015, the list of employers required to grant paid sick days will expand to include those with 15 or more workers. Although Mayor Bloomberg is expected to veto the bill, the proposal has enough support in the council to become law.
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March 29, 2013 | MSNBC | link to article
NYC Deal Gives Juice to National Paid Sick Leave Campaign
New York City’s multi-year battle over paid sick leave may soon be at an end. On Thursday night, activists and city council members in America’s most populous city achieved a deal which would mandate workplaces with 15 or more full-time workers to provide paid sick days to their employees.
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March 29, 2013 | The New York Times | link to article
Sick-Pay Plan Called Blessing and Burden
The compromise reached on a sick-leave law for workers in New York City drew cheers on Friday from employees who have feared that catching a cold could cost them their jobs. But some employers complained that it would unfairly load yet another expense onto their shoulders.
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March 29, 2013 | Salon | link to article
Paid Sick Leave: The Next Liberal Litmus Test?
Before Thursday, City Council speaker Christine Quinn (generally an ally of Mayor Michael Bloomberg) hemmed and hawed for three years over whether to put forth a paid sick leave bill, despite the fact that eight in 10 New Yorkers support it. The issue placed her in an uncomfortable bind, trapped between Bloomberg and the business community (all of whom oppose it) — and workers and unions on the other side.
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March 25, 2013 | Bayside Patch | link to article
Quinn Seeks Compromise on a Paid Sick Leave Bill
After New York City Council members moved to vote on a paid sick leave bill without Christine Quinn’s approval, the City Council speaker finally has decided to rejoin the debate, The New York Post reported.
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March 23, 2013 | The Shelton Herald | link to article
DeLauro Introduces Bill to Allow Workers to Earn Paid Sick Days
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has reintroduced legislation that would allow workers to earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventive care, or to address the impacts of domestic violence.
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March 22, 2013 | MSNBC | link to article
Battle Over Paid Sick Leave Intensifies
A fierce battle being waged in New York City could be a foreshadowing of more to come across the nation. New York’s City Council debated Friday whether employers should be required to offer employees paid sick leave.
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March 18, 2013 | Bloomberg BNA | link to article
Portland Joins Small Group of Jurisdictions In Adopting Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
The Portland, Ore., City Council March 13 unanimously approved an ordinance that will require businesses in the city to give employees up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually.
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March 18, 2013 | The American Prospect | link to article
Forty Years Behind on Sick-Leave Policy, But Catching Up
The United States stands almost alone in not guaranteeing workers paid time-off when they are sick, but momentum is building around the country to change that.
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March 14, 2013 | CBS Philly | link to article
Philadelphia City Council Passes Another Paid Sick Leave Bill; Mayoral Veto Expected
In what would turn out to be only the second most raucous event of the day in City Council chambers, City Council this morning approved a controversial sick leave bill by an 11-6 vote.
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March 13, 2013 | Think Progress | link to article
Portland, Oregon Becomes Fourth American City To Adopt Paid Sick Day Law
Portland became the fourth American city to approve a paid sick days law Wednesday, an important step forward today that will help the city’s workers, employers, and residents. Portland joined three other cities – San Francisco, Washington DC, and Seattle – and one state, Connecticut, in modernizing its workplace policies and acknowledging an important reality: everybody gets sick but no one should be at risk of losing a job, infecting coworkers or customers, or missing a day’s pay because of an illness.
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March 13, 2013 | KPTV | link to article
City Council Votes 5-0 in Favor of Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
The Portland City Council has approved a new law for sick leave policy, making it mandatory for Portland businesses to give employees paid sick time.
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March 13, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal | link to article
Oregon City Requires Paid Sick Leave
The city council in Portland, Ore., approved an ordinance Wednesday requiring employers to provide workers up to five paid sick days a year, the latest victory for proponents who are pushing the requirements across the country.
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March 12, 2013 | US News | link to article
Paid Sick Leave Costs Jobs
U.S. News comments on Eileen Applebaum's piece, Business Attitudes Toward Paid Sick Leave Are Changing.
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March 10, 2013 | The Washington Post | link to article
Maryland Lawmakers Propose Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
Maryland lawmakers have proposed legislation that would make it mandatory for the state’s employers to offer paid sick leave to their workers. The bill, if passed, would make Maryland the second state in the country to implement such a policy.
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March 8, 2013 | WMFE | link to article
House Committee Passes Wage, Benefits and Paid Sick Time Bill
A proposed bill that could lower wages and reduce benefits for many workers in Florida passed a House committee on a party-line vote Thursday. The Republican-backed bill (HB 655) would prohibit counties and cities in the state from establishing local ordinances regarding employee wages and benefits. Among other things, the bill would prohibit local governments from ordering employers to provide benefits such as paid sick leave.
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March 6, 2013 | US News | link to article
Business Attitudes Toward Paid Sick Leave Are Changing
The tide is turning in the debate over whether all employees should be able to earn paid sick leave. The benefits for those who need to be able to take a day off when they have the flu or want to keep a sick child home from school have not been in doubt. From a people perspective, it has never made sense for workers to face the hard choice between going to work sick or staying home and losing a day’s pay and maybe even being told not to bother coming back. Managers and professionals have always been able to use paid sick leave to recover from a routine illness, of course.
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March 4, 2013 | Michigan Radio | link to article
Michigan Lawmakers to Consider Blocking Local 'Paid Sick Leave' Ordinances
A state House committee this week will discuss whether to prevent local cities and towns in Michigan from passing laws requiring businesses to offer paid sick leave to their employees.
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March 1, 2013 | Crain's New York | link to article
The Paid Sick Leave Amendments, in Full
Supporters of city-mandated paid sick leave legislation shared a list of amendments made last year to make the legislation more palatable to the business community, ahead of a March 22 hearing on the contentious bill.
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March 1, 2013 | Gazette.Net | link to article
Heather R. Mizeur: Paid Sick Days Give Economy Shot in Arm
The 2013 flu season is already one for the record books — all 50 states report cases and 47 states report widespread outbreaks. Every corner of Maryland reports higher-than-usual onsets of influenza-like illnesses, while some areas run out of flu shots and hospitals brace for the worst after already treating tens of thousands of patients statewide.
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March 1, 2013 | Crains Insider | link to article
The Paid Sick Leave Amendments, in Full
Supporters of city-mandated paid sick leave legislation shared a list of amendments made last year to make the legislation more palatable to the business community, ahead of a March 22 hearing on the contentious bill.
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March 1, 2013 | VT Digger | link to article
Moulton: Paid Sick Days Good for Vermont’s Economy
New York's city council has a bill that would require paid sick days for more than 1.2 million workers; calling for its passage, the New York Times editorial page noted that it is “a normal benefit for workers in at least 145 countries.”
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February 26, 2013 | RH Reality Check | link to article
Paid Sick Leave Pays for Itself: So Why Is NYC’s Mayoral Hopeful Blocking It?
New York's city council has a bill that would require paid sick days for more than 1.2 million workers; calling for its passage, the New York Times editorial page noted that it is “a normal benefit for workers in at least 145 countries.”
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February 22, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal | link to article
Legislators Step Up Push for Paid Sick Leave
Amid the worst flu season in recent years, lawmakers in at least a half-dozen cities and states are intensifying a push for laws requiring paid time off when workers take sick days.
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February 19, 2013 | AlterNet | link to article
How Regulations on Big Business Are Actually Profitable
Last week marked the twentieth anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which grants unpaid, job-protected leave to recover from a long-term illness, treat a sick family member, or care for a newborn child. In 1993, judging by the reaction of big business and its allies, you’d have thought Congress has just passed a law outlawing capitalism. Rep. John Boehner (D-Ohio) said the FMLA would cause “the light of freedom to grow dimmer.”
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February 16, 2013 | PolicyMic | link to article
40 Million American Workers Lack Paid Sick Leave — This is a Public Health Problem
The nation's recent flu epidemic has sparked a debate over paid sick days and whether or not they should be guaranteed by federal law for all Americans. As it turns out, there is only a narrow margin of U.S. employees that can boast such "benefits." The rest? Well, your choices are either to go to work when ill or to get fired.
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February 14, 2013 | Think Progress | link to article
Despite Big Business’ Warnings, There’s No Evidence That Mandated Sick Leave Causes Job Loss
Requiring that businesses provide employees decent amounts of sick leave doesn’t cost jobs, according to research by the consumer advocate group Public Citizen. The researchers studied three examples of sick leave policies — the San Francisco paid sick leave ordinance (which requires general paid sick leave), the wider California Paid Family and Medical Leave (which requires paid time to take care of children or sick family members), and federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA, which mandated job-protected, but unpaid sick leave).
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February 13, 2013 | CT Post | link to article
Paid Sick Days a Boon for State
When the Connecticut General Assembly was considering legislation guaranteeing paid sick days, many companies, especially in the restaurant industry, complained bitterly that it would sink their businesses. It hasn't.
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February 11, 2013 | Think Progress | link to article
Maryland Lawmakers Propose Mandatory Paid Sick Leave For Workers
American workers rarely receive paid sick leave, but cities and states across the country are taking up proposals to mandate that employers pay employees who have to miss work because they are sick. A group of Democratic lawmakers has added Maryland to that list with a proposal that would mandate up to seven earned sick days.
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February 6, 2013 | The Stand | link to article
State Bills Would Grant Paid Family Leave, Sick Days
The Washington State House Labor Committee heard two bills Tuesday that directly affect the economic security of working families.
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February 6, 2013 | The Peoples Defender | link to article
Local Economists Back Mandatory Sick Leave
Portland State University economics professor Mary King and 13 co-signatories have written a letter of support for the city’s mandatory sick leave proposal.
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February 5, 2013 | The Huffington Post | link to article
Bill Clinton Pushes For Paid Sick Leave Alongside House Democrats
Twenty years ago on Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires companies to grant their employees at least 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year to recover from a serious illness, bond with a new baby or care for their ailing family members. Clinton, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) marked the occasion by pushing for an expanded version of the bill that would ensure paid family and medical leave for workers who could not afford to take 12 unpaid weeks off.
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February 1, 2013 | Yahoo News | link to article
Paid Sick Days In Philadelphia Would Benefit Business, Reduce Health Care Costs
Providing paid sick days is expected to save Philadelphia employers over half a million dollars per year, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). The city's proposed paid sick days legislation under Chapter 9-3300, would not only reduce costs to employers in Philadelphia, but would also reduce the spread of contagious diseases yielding further public health costs savings.
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February 1, 2013 | PR Newswire | link to article
Paid Sick Days In Philadelphia Would Benefit Business, Reduce Health Care Costs
Providing paid sick days is expected to save Philadelphia employers over half a million dollars per year, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). The city's proposed paid sick days legislation under Chapter 9-3300, would not only reduce costs to employers in Philadelphia, but would also reduce the spread of contagious diseases yielding further public health costs savings.
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February 1, 2013 | Portland Business Journal | link to article
Ensuring Ohioans Have the Paid Sick Days they Deserve
While the Center for Disease Control (CDC) urges Americans to stay home from work and school to avoid the spread of illness, we all suffer when workers without paid sick days don't have that option. In fact, according to recent studies, workers without paid sick leave are one and a half times more likely than are those with paid sick days to report going to work with a contagious illness.
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January 31, 2013 | The Baltimore Sun | link to article
Paid Sick-leave Bill Unveiled in Annapolis
Workers in Maryland would be guaranteed seven paid sick days a year under a bill introduced Thursday in Annapolis, eliminating what advocates say is an "impossible choice" that thousands of mostly low-wage employees are forced to make between preserving their health or their jobs.
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January 30, 2013 | The Lima News | link to article
Sherrod Brown Wants Paid Sick Days Mandated
With Ohio in the midst of a widespreak flu outbreak, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is backing a plan to ensure workers have access to to paid sick leave.
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January 25, 2013 | The Republican Massachusetts | link to article
Supporters Rally for Mass. Bill That Would Require Paid Sick Time
Supporters of efforts to force employers to pay workers when they are sick brought their fight in front of the State House Thursday afternoon, protesting outside a Dunkin Donuts on Beacon Street.
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January 25, 2013 | Oregon Live | link to article
As Debate Continues, Two Groups Throw Support Behind Paid Sick Leave: Portland City Hall Roundup
Two small business advocacy groups are calling a proposal to set a citywide sick time standard a "win-win policy for small businesses and workers across the City."
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January 24, 2013 | Metro Philly | link to article
City Council Reintroduces Bill Extending Paid Sick Leave to all Philadelphia Workers
Councilman Bill Greenlee on Thursday re-introduced the Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill, which would extend paid sick leave to all Philadelphia workers.
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January 23, 2013 | Oregon Live | link to article
Susan Nielsen: Portland Businesses Should Speak Up About Paid Sick Days
The question before the Portland City Council is whether to require all employers to offer earned sick time to their employees -- including the lower-wage workers who prepare food, care for the elderly and often don't earn a single paid day off of any kind.
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January 22, 2013 | AOL Jobs | link to article
Flu Outbreak Prompts Fierce Debate Over Paid Sick Days
An unusually early and vigorous flu season is drawing attention to a cause that has scored victories but also hit roadblocks in recent years: mandatory paid sick leave for a third of civilian workers - more than 40 million people - who don't have it.
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January 22, 2013 | Time Ideas | link to article
Flu Outbreak: Why Paid Sick Days Matter
While we typically look to doctors and medicines in a health crisis, we should recognize that guaranteeing paid sick days to workers could do as much, if not more, to help moderate the impact of influenza and other contagious diseases.
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January 20, 2013 | Union Bulletin | link to article
Sick Pay Benefits Employers’ Bottom Lines
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that 39 percent of people employed in private industry do not have paid sick leave as a benefit.
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January 17, 2013 | The Huffington Post | link to article
Restaurant Employees Have Broad Public Support For Better Pay, Sick Days: Survey
One of the key narratives in the restaurant world over the past year has been an increased focus on workers' rights. Restaurant employees scored big settlements in tip-skimming lawsuits against restaurateurs such as Mario Batali and Eric Ripert, and fought tooth-and-nail for better pay from fast-food conglomerates, even as a few restaurant executives threatened to cut hours to avoid giving employees the benefits that Obamacare would require them to provide.
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January 16, 2013 | Orlando Sentinel | link to article
Florida Chamber Targets Local Sick-time Laws
The Florida Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday that one of its top legislative priorities this year would be blocking local governments from adopting paid sick-time measures such as the one pending in Orange County.
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January 16, 2013 | Herald Net | link to article
Paid Sick Days Make Economic, Health Sense
Company productivity may take a small dip, but not a huge one. Work returns to normal. That makes paid sick leave a money-maker for business, rather than a drain on potential profits.
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January 15, 2013 | Hyattsville Patch | link to article
Maryland Democrats Push for Sick Leave Law
The argument in favor of the sick day legislation was framed as both an economic issue and a public health issue. Ill low-wage workers, the sick day legislation advocates said, wouldn't be forced to bring their germs into public in order to maintain the monthly finances.
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January 14, 2013 | Southern Maryland Newspaper | link to article
Maryland Chamber, Others Oppose Paid Sick Day Legislation
The city of Portland, Ore., is planning to discuss a proposal by the Everybody Benefits community coalition that would require businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees. The coalition is made up of labor, community and business groups and is seeking to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and other cities that have successfully passed similar ordinances.
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January 12, 2013 | The Huffington Post | link to article
Flu Epidemic Means Working While Sick For Workers Without Leave
The U.S. is now in the midst of a massive flu outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control has pegged flu activity as "high" in roughly half the country, while deaths from pneumonia and flu have climbed "slightly above the epidemic threshold." Experts have said this year's strain is one of the more severe in recent memory.
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January 11, 2013 | The Huffington Post | link to article
Flu Prevention? Try Paid Sick Days
The fear is real. University of Chicago researchers found nearly one in five workers reported that they or a family member had been fired, suspended, punished or threatened with being fired for taking time off due to personal illness or to care for a sick child or other relative.
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January 4, 2013 | AFL-CIO | link to article
Portland to Discuss Paid Sick Leave Requirement
The city of Portland, Ore., is planning to discuss a proposal by the Everybody Benefits community coalition that would require businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees. The coalition is made up of labor, community and business groups and is seeking to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and other cities that have successfully passed similar ordinances.
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January 2, 2013 | Washington Policy Watch | link to article
Our Changing Workforce Requires Modern Policies Like Paid Sick Days and Family Leave
Women have been a growing share of the workforce over the last several decades and now hold half of jobs. Research suggests that some women have joined the workforce in response to growing costs to support a family, particularly during tough economic times.
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November 30, 2012 | Seattle Channel | link to article
Paid Sick Leave Law, City Inside/Out Takes the Temperature
On Sept. 1, Seattle workers began to accrue paid sick time under a new city law, which applies to all employers with more than four full-time equivalent employees. Is the city’s Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance a boost for public health or a burden for local businesses? Will retailers increase their prices to absorb the new expense? What has been the outcome in other cities that have adopted similar sick-time laws? City Inside/Out takes the temperature.
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November 28, 2012 | The Baltimore Sun | link to article
Paid Sick Leave a Wise Investment
Employers, workers, and the public would all benefit from such a standard. The many employers that already provide paid sick leave would have a level playing field with their competitors, and all would more easily maintain a healthy workplace.
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November 27, 2012 | Nation's Restaurant News | link to article
Miami-Dade County Rejects Measure to Require Paid Sick Leave
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners rejected a measure that would have required restaurateurs and other businesses in the county to offer paid sick leave to their employees.
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November 26, 2012 | Philadelphia Weekly | link to article
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Comcast Lobbying Against Paid Sick Leave Bill
According to lobbying disclosures required by the city of Philadelphia, both the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Comcast Corporation spent the second quarter of 2012 lobbying against a potential paid sick-leave bill. The bill, according to its prime sponsor, Councilman at-Large Bill Greenlee, is now set to be introduced in January 2013, after he’d originally planned a fall release.
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November 22, 2012 | Portland Tribune | link to article
Paid Sick Days Keep Economy Healthy
Many Portland business owners support paid sick days and remark that when they respond to the needs of their employees, they experience a more productive and healthy workplace and turnover costs go down.
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November 14, 2012 | The Baltimore Sun | link to article
Md. Should Go Slow on Mandatory Sick Leave
Most of us likely take paid sick leave for granted. It accumulates over time, and we dip into the account when there's an injury or illness that prevents us from going to work, whether for a day or, as in the case of a serious malady, for much longer. Workers benefit most directly, but it also allows employers to attract the best and brightest workers and spares their co-workers and customers from coming into contact with a potentially contagious disease.
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October 9, 2012 | Impre Media | link to article
Whose Interests Does Quinn Represent
Legislators had reached a consensus to pass a bill to provide reasonable employment protections. But City Council Speaker Christine Quinn unilaterally stopped the legislation in its tracks, preventing its debate and approval.
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October 6, 2012 | The Press Enterprise | link to article
Why We Should Stop Showing Up Sick
The problem with showing up at work sick, though, is that it is not about whether or not you can make it through and get your work done — the problem is that you risk infecting everyone else around you.
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October 5, 2012 | JD Supra | link to article
Five Things To Know About Paid Sick Leave, NLRB and Other New Developments
At yesterday’s labor & employment law seminar, we had both Heidi Lane, a Prinicipal Attorney with the Connecticut Department of Labor, and Jonathan Kreisberg, Regional Director of the NLRB’s Hartford Office, speak to attendees about the latest developments under both Connecticut and federal law.
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October 4, 2012 | Crain's New York Business | link to article
Sick-Pay Momentum Impacts Business Groups
A rally and poll boosting a paid sick leave mandate, and new cracks in business groups' opposition to a compromise, increases pressure on the City Council speaker to let the measure through.
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October 3, 2012 | DNA Info New York | link to article
Small Businesses Push Quinn to Support Paid Sick Leave Proposal
More than 100 small businesses across the city are urging Council Speaker Christine Quinn to back newly proposed and controversial paid sick leave legislation.
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October 3, 2012 | The Huffington Post | link to article
Orange County Paid Sick Time Quashed By Legislators Who Texted With Business Lobby
Last month, Orange's Board of County Commissioners voted to put off a ballot vote on a hotly contested measure that would require employers to provide workers with one hour of sick leave for every 37 hours worked, capped at 56 per year. By delaying the vote until after the printing deadline for the Nov. 6 ballot, the board's move at least temporarily scuttled an initiative that 50,000 voters had petitioned to put to a public vote.
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October 3, 2012 | People's World | link to article
Disney Disgrace: Scandal Rocks Efforts to Block Paid Sick Time
Local progressive forces told Orange County commissioners, "Don't Delete Democracy," at the commission's Oct. 2 meeting here. The newly minted campaign comes in the wake of disclosures that the county mayor, a commissioner and county employees had deleted text messages sent and received during a lengthy Sept. 11 meeting on earned sick time.
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September 25, 2012 | People's World | link to article
Big Business and GOP Block Florida Sick-time Ballot Measure
Democracy is under siege in Orange County, Fla. Progressive forces have had the prospect of paid sick time, an advance for low-wage workers, snatched from them, at least temporarily, by big business forces and their allies - the county commission and the local GOP.
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September 11, 2012 | Post Crescent | link to article
Reg Wydeven Column: Paid Sick Leave Varies Among Employers
Employers are generally not required to provide employees with any paid time off (even though we would attract few candidates if we didn’t). Therefore, companies can establish their own policies when it comes to time away from work.
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September 4, 2012 | Market Watch | link to article
DC's Paid Sick Leave Law: IWPR Recommends Thorough Assessment of Impact on Businesses and Workers
"Research conducted by IWPR has found that providing workers with access to paid sick days is associated with better self-reported health, reduced health care costs, and improved productivity and reduced turnover on the job," said Kevin Miller, Senior Research Associate with IWPR and author of the briefing paper. "DC's law can serve as an example for other communities, helping to bring these benefits to more workers across the country."
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September 3, 2012 | Orlando Sentinel | link to article
Denver Sick-time Ballot Fight May Preview Orange Battle
When workers' advocates rolled out a ballot proposal last year that would require all Denver employers to provide paid sick time to their workers, early polling showed the idea was popular. But after restaurant and other business interests sent out paid canvassers and a shower of mail and TV ads, voters rejected the initiative by a 2-1 margin.
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September 1, 2012 | KOMO News | link to article
New Law Requires Paid Sick Leave at Seattle Businesses
A new law that took effect Saturday means Seattle is now one of the few cities in the nation requiring businesses to offer paid sick leave to workers.
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August 31, 2012 | KIRO Seattle | link to article
Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Goes in Effect Saturday, Worrying Small Seattle Businesses
The city of Seattle’s new “paid sick days” law goes into effect starting Saturday, and small businesses are worried it will cost more and create financial hardship.
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August 31, 2012 | PS Business Journal | link to article
Seattle's Paid Sick-leave Law Takes Effect Saturday
Seattle’s new Paid Sick/Safe Time Ordinance takes effect Sept. 1 and the law will have an impact on many businesses in the city.
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August 29, 2012 | FCIR | link to article
County Mayor Looks to Undermine Sick Pay Ballot Measure
Progressives in Orlando were able to win a tough battle and place a mandated earned sick pay measure on the November ballot there, but the county’s mayor is considering a competing resolution that would undermine it.
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August 29, 2012 | Employee Benefit News | link to article
Seattle Paid Leave Rule Could Have Nationwide Implications
Employers with more than four full-time equivalent employees who have workers in Seattle have until Saturday to be in compliance with the city’s new Paid Sick and Safe Time ordinance. The new rules apply not only to Seattle-based workers, but also employees who perform even occasional work there.
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August 28, 2012 | KOMO News | link to article
Deadline Looms for Seattle Sick Leave Changes
Under the change, which takes effect Saturday, businesses with more than four full-time equivalent employees must offer their workers at least five paid sick days a year. Companies must also offer paid "safe time" to allow workers to care for a family member or for reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
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August 27, 2012 | Perkins Coie | link to article
Seattle Paid Sick/Safe Time: Ten Tips and Traps
A Seattle ordinance passed in September 2011 requires all but the very smallest employers to provide their employees who work in Seattle a minimum amount of paid sick and safe time, or “PSST."
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August 22, 2012 | KPLU News | link to article
Paid Sick Leave for Workers in Seattle Takes Effect September 1
A new benefit may be in store for you if you work in Seattle. After September 1, 2012, employers in the city will be required to provide you with paid sick leave. It covers whether you're full time, part time or work just occasionally in the city.
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August 20, 2012 | San Diego Reader | link to article
Study Finds Paying for Sick Leave Saves Employers Money
By now, most workers realize that paid sick leave is a valuable workplace benefit that is no longer guaranteed by many employers.
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August 16, 2012 | NY Daily News | link to article
Paid sick leave is good for business
Efforts by a strong majority of the City Council to advance a modest measure to give most workers a few paid sick days a year have been met with some negative editorials stoking fears of broad pain for small businesses.
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August 15, 2012 | Park Slope Patch | link to article
What Park Slope Restaurateurs Think About Paid Sick Day Bill
But, the letter from the Coalition for a Healthy Economy said that the bill would not be good for small businesses. “A growing number of employers in this city are small start-ups, including many women-, minority and immigrant-owned firms. These are the job creators who will be hurt most by the extra costs associated with a paid sick-leave mandate,” the letter read.
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August 7, 2012 | Orlando Sentinel | link to article
Study: Paid sick-time would help employers, too
A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research concludes that the proposed initiative mandating sick time for workers in Orange County would not only benefit employees, but businesses, as well.
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July 20, 2012 | Bloomberg Businessweek | link to article
Is Paid Sick Leave Good for Business?
A group of influential women, led by feminist author Gloria Steinem, is making a renewed push in New York for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on a bill that would require businesses to give their employees paid sick leave. Two years after quashing that effort, Quinn says paid sick leave remains a worthy goal but that she is standing by her prior decision.
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May 22, 2012 | Reuters | link to article
Who truly speaks for small businesses?
Everyone knows that small businesses hate President Obama’s historic healthcare reform law, right? At least that’s what the nation’s leading small-business advocacy group would have you believe.
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April 2, 2012 | New York Daily News | link to article
Pols Argue Paid Sick Times is a RX for Healthy Workers, Business, and City Economy
For those of us with these benefits, it would be almost unthinkable to be denied this basic right. However, more than a million of our neighbors in New York City are deprived of paid sick time.
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March 28, 2012 | Metro West Daily News | link to article
Workers Rally in Boston for State Law Mandating Paid Sick Days
Dozens of supporters rallied yesterday for a state law mandating paid sick days for private employers in an annual event that proponents said may finally bring success to workers around the state.
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March 27, 2012 | Common Wealth Magazine | link to article
Employers, Economists Push for Paid Sick Leave
Employers, workers, and economists rallied and lobbied at the State House in support of legislation that would offer sick leave to the estimated 1 million Massachusetts employees who don't have it currently.
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March 13, 2012 | AIM Business Insider | link to article
Legislative Committee Approves Redrafted Paid Sick-Time Bill
A Massachusetts legislative committee has begun voting on a compromise mandated sick time.
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March 12, 2012 | Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council| link to article
Conscious Consumer, Conscious Business
With growing momentum behind a City Council proposal to guarantee paid sick days for New York City workers, a group of business owners from Jackson Heights and Corona will hold a press conference with local residents and the NYC Paid Sick Leave Coalition to launch the “Conscious Consumer, Conscious Business” initiative.
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March 12, 2012 | Family Values at Work | link to article
Queens Small Business Owners Join with Council Members in Support of Paid Sick Days
Today, a group of local small business owners, City Council Members and community leaders stood together to announce their support for paid sick days at Terraza 7 Live Music, a restaurant and music venue in Jackson Heights.
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March 1, 2012 | The Wall Street Journal | link to article
Sick-Time Rules Re-Emerge
More governements look to require small businesses to provide time-off benefits.
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March 1, 2012 | The Bottom Line MSNBC | link to article
New Mandates for Paid Sick Leave Raise Hackles
The only thing worse than staying home sick with chills and a fever or a hacking cough is having to be at work while battling illness. Yet for many workers, especially those who work for small businesses that don't offer sick leave, that is a very real choice.
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February 22, 2012 | Boston Herald | link to article
Small Business Group's Report Rips Paid Sick Days as Job Killer
Legally mandated paid sick days for workers would stamp out billions of dollars worth of productivity and potentially 16,000 jobs over five years, according to a new report issued by a small-business advocacy group that has long opposed legislation that would guarantee Massachusetts employees up to a week of sick time.
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February 15, 2012 | NBC Chicago | link to article
CPS Revises Sick-Day Policy Costing $37M Yearly
Chicago Public Schools' proposed plan to revise its decades-old sick-day policy that cost the system an average $37 million each year.
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February 6, 2012 | Press of Atlantic City | link to article
The Costs and Causes of Presenteeism
Many companies are so focused on the costs of absenteeism that they don't stop to think about the costs, and more importantly the root causes, of presenteeism.
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January 28, 2012 | Family Values Work | link to article
NYC Coalition Relaunches Paid Sick Days Campaign
More than 100 people gathered on the steps of City Hall in New York January 18 to hear labor leaders, health providers, a small business owner and community activists address the need for passage of paid sick days.
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January 26, 2012 | Press of Atlantic City | link to article
Paid Family Leave/Another Benefit
When lawmakers adopted New Jersey's paid family leave program four years ago, the business community screamed. The program was called an expensive mandate that would be an administrative nightmare. Some, including The Press, suggested delaying implementation of the law until New Jersey recovered from the recession. But since it took effect in July 2009, the law has worked better than expected.
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January 25, 2012 | Olympia Business Watch | link to article
Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Bill Would Hurt Business and Workers
Representatives from businesses large and small spoke out Tuesday against a proposal that would make Washington just the second state in the country to...
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January 18, 2012 | Times Union | link to article
A Coming Compromise on NYC Paid Sick Leave
Labor leaders and public health advocates are hoping retooled paid sick days legislation will come through the City Council with a clean bill of health. More than 1 million city workers currently do not get paid sick time, advocates calculate. Legislation to change that has languished in the council.
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January 10, 2012 | The Daily Caller | link to article
Connecticut Workers Are Getting Paid to Call in Sick, Thanks to a New Law
Connecticut workers ushered in 2012 with a new law that requires most employers in the state to provide workers with paid sick leave.
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January 7, 2012 | The Economist | link to article
B Corps: Firms with Benefits
California's B Corp legislation took effect alongside a new law creating the "flexible purpose company" (FlexC), which allows a firm to adopt a specific social or environmental goal, rather than the broader obligations of a B Corp.
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January 1, 2012 | Family Values at Work | link to article
Connecticut Workers Welcome Paid Sick Days
Connecticut workers welcome paid sick days.
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November 28, 2011 | The Atlantic | link to article
The Cost of Not Taking a Sick Day
A new study looks at how presenteeism -- going to work while ill -- can be harmful to more than just the individual, and why it is that certain organizational cultures promote the practice
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December 5, 2011 | CT POST | link to article
Paid Sick Leave Drives Hiring Concern
At a time when politicians are hoping to spur job development with new tax cuts, a top executive of Southport Brewing Co. said the restaurant chain cut 26 positions this year to escape a paid sick-day law that goes into effect Jan 1.
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November 17, 2011 | FINS US | link to article
Sick on the Job? Stay Home!
As flu season arrives, many office workers are taking preventative measures like stocking up on Purell and Kleenex and drinking lots of vitamin C to avoid catching a bug. In this economy, however, even those laid low by a virus would still head to work to avoid missing a paycheck.
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November 16, 2011 | Columbia Daily Tribune | link to article
Paid-Leave Benefits Lag for New Moms
About 50.8 percent of first-time mothers said they used some kind of paid leave, which includes maternity, sick and vacation time, from 2006 to 2008, the most recent years for which figures are available, according to the census report.
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November 15, 2011 | RTE News | link to article
Employers Group Warn of Sick Pay Plan Costs
Employers groups are furious at Department of Social Protection proposals to make employers pay the first month of sick pay. Employers groups have voiced fury at Department of Social Protection proposals to make employers pay the first month of sick...
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November 15, 2011 | BenefitsPro | link to article
Study: Paid Sick Days Would Save $1 Billion in Health Care
If all employees had access to paid sick days, it could save $1 billion in yearly medical costs, according to a report released by the Institute for Women's Policy...
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November 14, 2011 | Moms Rising | link to article
Business to Business: Don't Be Afraid of Paid Sick Days! It's Good for Our Workers and It's Good for Us.
You can do it Massachusetts! A healthy workforce is within your reach. Here in Seattle, 40% of the workforce, over 190000 people didn't have ...
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November 11, 2011 | Moms Rising | link to article
Massachusetts- Transgender People Need Paid Sick Days Too...
As a transgender person, I realize how important it is to have paid sick days. If you don't know, a transgender person is just like anyone else, but refers to people...
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November 09, 2011 | CNN Money | link to article
How Flexible Work Actually Works
Imagine unlimited paid vacation and sick leave, with no mandated office hours. Chaos, right? Not according to a handful of award-winning employers profiled in a new report on effective workplaces.
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November 04, 2011 | Denver Business Journal | link to article
How Business Beat Sick-Leave Proposal in Liberal Denver
Denver business leaders employed a new and ultimately successful campaign strategy to defeat the paid-sick-leave proposal on Nov. 1: Go directly to the people and make the case against Initiative 300.
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November 02, 2011 | Plan Sponsor | link to article
Philadelphia Requires Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave
Mayor Nutter had previously vetoed a similar bill earlier in June 2011 (see No Paid Sick Leave Mandate in Philadelphia). According to the law offices of Morgan...
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October 20, 2011 | Morning Sentinel | link to article
Vassalboro Selectmen Question Lunch Break
To pay or not to pay for employees' lunch breaks? That was the question last week as Vassalboro selectmen edited their draft personnel handbook, with most town employees in attendance.
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October 14, 2011 | Roxborough-Manayunk Patch | link to article
City Council Votes to Pass Modified Sick Days Bill
City Council voted today to pass a bill that will require businesses that contract with or receive subsidies from the city to provide their workers with up to seven paid sick days a year. The bill, which was modified from its original version to make ...
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August 8, 2011 | The Sunbreak | link to article
Op-Ed: Economists Count the Ways Paid Sick Leave Makes Sense
"An Open Letter to the Seattle City Council:
Soon you will have the opportunity to pass a bill that will help protect and promote the health of Seattle's workers and businesses. As economists, we urge you to pass the paid sick days ordinance, City Council Bill 117216, to ensure that workers can take time off to recover from their own illness, to care for a sick family member or to seek medical care."
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June 5, 2011 | MSNBC | link to article
Your Career: Can Sick Leave Plan Go National?
San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are two cities that have successfully mandated businesses offer paid sick days to workers.
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october 2, 2011 | Las Vegas Review Journal | link to article
Sick Leave Debate Passes by Nevada
The Institute for Women's Policy Research placed Nevada among the 10 worst states for access to paid sick days in 2010.
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october 10, 2011 | Nation's Restaurant News | link to article
Sick Leave Spreads
Concerns grow over new initiatives mandating paid time off for illness.
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october 3, 2011 | WGRZ | link to article
Collins Claim on Paid Time Off Challenged
20 weeks of paid time off between holidays, vacations, personal days, paid lunches, summer hours, bereavement days, 20 weeks." (Our) Example is based on an average employee making a salary of $43430, who has 12 years of service, takes 15 sick days a 1...
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september 29, 2011 | KWGN | link to article
Business Groups Oppose Paid Sick Days Measure
DENVER -- The opponents of Initiative 300, which would require businesses to provide their employees a certain amount of paid sick days, are continuing their media blitz Thursday morning. The city's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce...
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october 11, 2011 | Chanhassen Villager | link to article
Chanhassen City Council Examines Sick Pay, Vacation Compensation
At the time the employee leaves the city, half of the sick time balance is paid into the post retirement health care savings plan. The council identified compensated absences as a priority for review this year. Compared to 12 cities Chanhassen ...
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september 27, 2011 | Huffington Post | link to article
Rocking Cradle to Career with Paid Family Leave
Two in five working parents with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level have no paid sick or personal days, not to mention vacation. Given their circumstances, unpaid family leave to care for a child is a non-starter.
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october 7, 2011 | The Toledo Blade | link to article
Retiree Sick-Time Payout Reduced
The Lucas County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to reduce the number of unused sick leave hours county employees can get paid for when they retire. The move is aimed at saving money following the loss of $3.6 million this year in local government...
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september 26, 2011 | The Guardian | link to article
Are Young People More Likely to Call in Sick?
I've called in sick maybe 3 times in my whole working life, which spans about 35 years. But i was never on salary either, if i didn't go to work, i didn't get paid. Are young people more likely to call in sick? Of course they are.
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september 26, 2011 | Denver Business Journal | link to articlE
Six on City Council Oppose Sick-Leave Idea
"The city has no existing system in place to implement this ordinance and a number of the city's existing paid sick leave policies are in conflict with those set forth in the Initiative 300," said the open letter to the citizens of Denver.
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september 26, 2011 | People's World | link to articlE
Paid Sick Days the Law Now in Seattle
... the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, told journalists Friday at the 2011 convention of the International Labor Communications Association how labor and its allies were able to get this city to guarantee paid sick days for all its workers....
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september 27, 2011 | KDVR | link to articlE
Denver City Council Majority Opposes Paid Sick Leave Measure
DENVER -- A majority of the city council is joining Mayor Michael Hancock in opposing the city's most hotly-debated November ballot initiavtive, a measure to force businesses to give employees a higher number of paid sick days. ...
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august 16, 2011 | seattle coalition for a healthy workforce | link to articlE
Paid Sick Days Hall of Shame
Home to the businesses in our community that won't take responsibility for helping prevent the spread of disease by providing paid sick days to keep their employees and customers healthy.
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august 03, 2011 | by roger valdez| crosscut | link to articlE
Paid Sick Leave in Seattle: Study Shows the Need
A much better argument is that those workers need paid sick leave for the same reasons all of the rest of us need it: working while sick or injured can makes the underlying condition worse. And it can end up costing everyone more money by putting sick workers into our publicly financed safety net. An article I co-wrote a while back about a study conducted of local bar and restaurant workers shows that even the best protected and represented hospitality workers suffer most from work related illness. And of those workers, women suffer more from work related illness and injury.
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march 28, 2011 | by jake anderson | twin cities business | link to articlE
MN Jimmy John's Workers Call Foul; Owner Refutes
A handful of fired Jimmy John’s workers claim that their former employer committed unfair labor practices. The employer says his policies mirror those of other businesses in the industry, and the workers were fired for disbursing “defamatory, disparaging, and dishonest” posters.
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july 07, 2011 | by Jody hall| west seattle herald | link to articlE
Small Business Should Support "Common Ground" Paid Sick Days Proposal
The paid sick days ordinance is sparking great debate among small businesses in Seattle. Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale and Verite Coffee supports the effort.
june 08, 2011 | by Ken Weinstein | news works | link to articlE
Ken Weinstein: Why I Oppose Giving Workers Paid Sick Leave
This is a letter Ken Weinstein, owner of the Trolley Car Diner & Trolley Car Cafe, sent to Philadelphia City Council stating why he opposes a bill that would mandate paid sick days.
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june 21, 2011 | by J.B. Wogan| the seattle times | link to articlE
Plan Would Require Seattle Firms to Provide Paid Sick Days
All business in Seattle would be required to provide their workers with paid sick days, according to a proposal by City Councilmember Nick Licata. The legislation - to be discussed at a council committee meeting Wednesday - calls for a sliding scale, with smaller businesses obligated to set aside less time and larger companies required to set aside more.
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maY 19, 2011 | by emily maltby | the wall street journal | link to articlE
Seattle Considers Mandatory Sick Leave Bill Paid Sick Leave
This blog asked for commentary from small business owners on the proposed paid sick leave law in Seattle. Read comments from owners of Zazie, Mission Pie, and Bi-Rite -- San Francisco businesses flourishing under the San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Ordinance.
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maY 6, 2011 | by LINDA BRILL | KING5.COM | link to SEGMENT
Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Proposal Snowballing in Seattle
VIDEO: Seattle NBC affiliate segment featuring a small business owner in support of paid sick days and other commentary.
View >>
mar 18, 2011 | by troy graham | the philadelphia inquirer | link to article
City business community blasts bill that would require paid sick leave
Members of Philadelphia's business community lambasted proposed sick-leave legislation at a recent City Council meeting as job killing and burdernsome.
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mar 15, 2011 | by robert stammers | the san francisco chronicle | link to article
The Small Business Jobs Act: Make It Work For You
The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 was designed to create jobs by encouraging lending to small businesses, but how can you use it to expand your business?
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mar 14, 2011 | by tom macdonald | newsworks | link to article
Business fights back against mandatory sick leave
Businesses in Philadelphia argue that many can't afford to give paid sick leave to their employees because of their small profit margins.
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mar 14, 2011 | by jay blumgart | the huffington post | link to article
Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Cries Wolf Over Earned Sick Days
Business groups routinely oppose new worker-friendly legislation with apocalyptic economic rhetoric. Rather than just making fretful predictions, we should look at empirical evidence gathered from successfully implemented paid sick leave bills.
mar 13, 2011 | by louis lista | the hartford courant | link to article
Paid Sick Days Good For Business, Employees
Connecticut business owner, Louis Lista explains that providing paid sick days for his employees has made his workforce more stable and dedicated.
feb 15, 2011 | by Alan j. liddle | nation's restaurant news | link to article
Paid sick leave challenges Calif. operators
The nation's first municipal law requiring employers to provide workers with paid sick leave is achieving most of its goal, but food service employers were among those struggling the most to adapt, researchers found.
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feb 11, 2011 | by daniel b. wood | the christian science monitor | link to article
Mandatory paid sick leave: How has it worked in San Francisco?
"It's made a highly positive impact on staff morale. I think it's a win/win situation for employees and employers," said business owner Sam Mogganam, of the first four years of San Francisco's mandatory paid sick leave. A new study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research agrees.
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feb 10, 2011 | by marc lifsher | the los angeles times | link to article
San Francisco sick-leave law working, study says
San Francisco's four-year-old, mandatory paid sick leave law has gained wide acceptance among employees and their bosses, a news study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research says.
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jan 12, 2011 | by jack katzanek | the press-enterprise | link to article
Study says paid family good for workers and bosses
An article and podcast exploring the Family Paid Leave program in California, finds that not only do workers benefit but employers have found it to have little or no noticeable effect on their operations.
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jan 11, 2011 | by elizabeth lesly stevens | the bay citizen | link to article
Study: California's Family Leave Law Popular
A new study by researchers at UCLA, the City University of New York and the Center for Economic and Policy Research finds that California's paid family leave program is popular with both employers and employees.
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Dec 22, 2010 | The Kojo Nnmandi Show | link to article
Crowdsourcing, "Carrotmobs" and Local Business
Coordinator of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC, Nikki Lewis spoke to the Kojo Nnamdi Show about the recent "carrotmob" in support of local businesses providing paid sick days.
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Nov 16, 2010 | By Tim Carman | Washington City Paper | link to article
ROC-United Supports the People Who Actually Cook and Serve You Food
Several restaurants have expressed an interest in expanding (or already have expanded) the benefits even without a change in law, Lewis says; they include Teaism, Busboys & Poets, and Sticky Rice.
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nov 14, 2010 | By Bill Leaver | iowa Business Record Bizjournal Blog | Link to Article
Produce "Presenteeism" to Decrease Absenteeism
Workers who come to work ill perpetuate presenteeism and absenteeism. This unspoken "culture of illness" puts personal productivity and the productivity of a company on the line.
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November 01, 2010 | By Kimberly Bunting and Katherine Zimmerman | the hill's congress blog | link to article
A Small Business Model for Flexible Workplaces
Last week, President Obama took time out of a hot campaign season to remind us all that, as National Work and Family Month wrapped up, "millions of Americans continue to struggle... to balance work and family life."
As small business owners, we couldn't agree more. We are those Americans. And so are our employees.
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October 28, 2010 | By Kate Karpilow | Huffington Post | link to article
Success in San Francisco with Paid Sick Days
In honor of National Work and Family Month, America should consider the experience of San Francisco in regard to paid sick days.
After fifteen minutes in line at the pharmacy, the clerk called me forward to purchase my prescription.
But something was wrong: Her brown eyes were tinged . . . red. Her complexion was . . . clammy.
It was December, and my service clerk looked like a walking advertisement for influenza.
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October 22, 2010 | By andrea lindemann | Momsrising.org | link to article
Support Paid Sick Days When You Eat Out
Imagine going to work with the flu. How about having a toddler with an ear infection? When a child in Washington, D.C. gets sick, they may not make it to a doctor if their parent is a waitress. And it isn't because their parent is neglectful. Despite a paid sick days law passed two years ago in the District of Columbia, tipped restaurant employees are not afforded paid time off when sick or to care for a sick family member. That means many families are in the tough position of having to decide between a paycheck and seeking care when ill.
Now residents of D.C. can have their say. An exciting new campaign gives consumers the power to put their money where their mouth is.
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October 11, 2010 | By CARL CAMPANILE | New York Post | link to article
It's Hard to $wallow
Havana Central restaurateur Jeremy Merrin says the City Council's plan requiring him to offer all workers paid sick days is just the latest assault on his eateries.
"It's impossible to do business in the city anymore. There's no room for us to operate anymore," said Merrin, who operates three of his Cuban-theme restaurants in Union Square, Times Square and Morningside Heights, and has 240 employees.
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October 07, 2010 | By SALLY GOLDENBERG | New York Post | link to article
Council eyes pruning sick-day requirement
In response to a wave of opposition from businesses, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is looking at ways to take some of the sting out of a controversial proposal requiring all private businesses to offer paid sick days, sources told The Post.
Quinn is contemplating reducing the number of paid days businesses would be forced to provide employees annually from nine, in the current bill, to five, one source said.
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October 04, 2010 | by Institute for women's policy research | link to press release
Business-commissioned Study Inflates Cost of NYC Paid Sick Leave, Say Researchers
In a letter to the Speaker of the New York City Council, the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) and other leading scholars outlined flaws in a study by the Partnership for New York City estimating high costs to businesses due to proposed paid sick leave legislation.
The Ernst and Young survey that was commissioned by the Partnership for New York City, a group of 200 leaders of major corporations in the city, claims that the proposed paid sick leave legislation would cost New York City businesses $789 million per year. The Partnership has not released the methodology used to estimate projected costs.
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October 02, 2010 | By Ellen bravo | jsonline | link to article
Time to Own Up: Paid Sick Days Make Sense
Imagine the scene: Someone tries to convince you there's a wolf in the area about to cause great harm. The person offers to protect you - and then asks for generous handouts to help that effort.
Only problem: There's no wolf.
Such is the case with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Unable to defeat a ballot measure in 2008 in support of paid sick days, passed by nearly 70% of the electorate, MMAC took to the courts. The organization has tried to convince business owners that paid sick days would be a monster of a wolf, wreaking havoc on our fair city. And now it's asking businesses to raise a boatload of money as well.
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September 30, 2010 | By David Freedlander | The New York Observer | link to article
Warren Buffett's Son Writes To Christine Quinn Over Paid Sick Leave
Peter Buffett, the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has sent a letter to council speaker Christine Quinn urging her to pass the Paid Sick Leave bill that is now before her.
The letter, co-signed by his wife, Jennifer, says, "Please continue your lifelong commitment to building family economic security and post the New York City Paid Sick Days Act for a vote without delay. This is the single most important thing you can do to help New York's working parents achieve a better, more stable quality of life."
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September 28, 2010 | By ANDREA LINDEMANN
When Businesses Cry Wolf
"America's business owners are a resilient bunch, but let there be no doubt, HR 1 will be the demise of some. And as that occurs, the light of freedom will grow dimmer."
The above quote was from a speech in which Rep. John Boehner zealously denounced the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) two days before President Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993.
Less than a decade later, a 2000 Department of Labor study showed that 90 percent of business owners said FMLA hadn't affected their profitability, or the law had buoyed their business. And 84 percent said the measure had not changed productivity or had boosted it.
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September 27, 2010 | By Daniel Massey | Crain's New York Business | link to article
Study's cost of paid sick leave: $789M a year
A study expected to be released Tuesday by the Partnership for New York City argues that the paid sick leave proposal under consideration by the City Council will increase private-sector payroll costs in the city by 0.3%, or a total of $789 million per year, according to an advanced copy obtained by Crain's New York Business.
Employers who would have to provide benefits for the first time would experience the greatest hardship, the study argues, with small businesses and nonprofits shouldering $149 million, or nearly 20% of the annual costs.
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September 23, 2010 | By Steve Lewis | BlackBook | link to article
The ABC's & Other Controversies
"I'm still here!" proclaimed my serious relationship to a serious question I posed last night, right before din din with friends. She had just returned from that Joaquin Phoenix/Casey Affleck flick, and was being a bit short and feisty. She hated the movie, and had grave doubts that it actually was a hoax. Friends "in the know" cited all sorts of "situations" that proved the Gladiator star had fallen, and was just trying to get up. Soon our debate evolved into whether to eat at a local bistro, which had recently received a B rating from the NYC Health Department. To make a long story short, it was agreed by all that the B was higher than what we actually expected, and good enough for us. We popped right in.
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September 20, 2010 | By Patriot-News Editorial Board | Patriot-News | link to article
Paid sick leave: It's a way to cure productivity ills
You wake up this morning, ready to start a new week, when suddenly it feels like someone overnight laid a concrete block on your head.
It's decision time: Do you call in sick or soldier through the workday?
For too many people, the answer to the question is between pain and getting paid.
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September 3, 2010 | By Jake Blumgart | The Huffington Post | link to article
A New Labor Standard for Labor Day: Paid Sick Leave
You wake up Monday morning with a throbbing headache, achy muscles and a hacking cough. Do you miserably trudge into work, likely prolonging your recovery time and exposing your co-workers to infection? Or do you give your body the time it needs to heal, and call in sick? Can you afford to?
AUGUST 31, 2010 | By ANDREA LINDEMANN | MOMSRISING.ORG | link to article
US Women's Chamber of Commerce: Understanding the Needs of Working Women and Their Families
Work-life balance is often thought of in terms of flexible hours, telecommuting, and other important ways to modify the work place to make it more amenable to working women and men. Sometimes overlooked are the jobs in which low-wage workers tend to be concentrated - for example, the restaurant industry, service industry, and home care. Many of these jobs do not offer paid time off when workers or their families are ill. Often, these workers have fewer options for job flexibility, making the need for paid sick days legislation even more important.
August 16, 2010 | By Jake Blumgardt | Philadelphia Inquirer | link to article
A push for paid sick leave in Pa. and Philly
You wake up with a throbbing headache, achy muscles, and a hacking cough. Do you miserably trudge into work or call in sick? Will the call depend on the health of your body or your wallet?
For almost half of Pennsylvania's workforce, the answer will come down to money. Neither Pennsylvania, nor any other state, requires employers to offer earned sick leave. True, 54 percent of the state's private-sector workers are offered sick-leave pay, as are 56 percent of workers in Philadelphia. But those who enjoy such benefits tend to have higher incomes, which means, perversely, that if you can swallow an unpaid sick day, you don't have to. The other half of the workforce is on its own.
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August 1, 2010 | By Ellen Bravo | New York Times | link to article
Letter to the Editor: Paid Leave for Family Care
Hats off to The New York Times for reporting on mortgage companies' discrimination against pregnant women ("For New or Soon-to-Be Parents, Mortgage Approval Gets Tougher," Business Day, July 20), and to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for its swift response ("HUD to Investigate Mortgage Loan Denials," Business Day, July 22).
July 28, 2010 | By Kathy Moore | Kennebec Journal | link to article
Letter to the Editor: Paid sick days make good business sense
The author finds supporting a minimum number of paid sick days to be "out of touch." Yet, nearly 50 percent of Maine workers lack a single paid sick day and 85 percent of voters support legislation to provide paid sick days for all Maine workers. Paid sick days are necessary to ensure that the health of all employees is protected, which in turns leads to higher workplace productivity. With the advent of potential epidemics such as H1N1, a certain number of paid sick days is desirable as employees often go to work when they are sick rather than miss a day or even a week's pay.
May 17, 2010 | By Jennifer Hicks | TriplePundit | link to article
Offering Sick Leave Benefits Has Benefits
It costs an employer 23 cents per hour per worker-on average-to provide sick time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet, 39 percent of workers in the private sector and 26 percent of those who work part time do not have any sick days. And, about two-thirds of people who earn $10.40 an hour or less don't have sick days.
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May 13, 2010 | By John Petro | Huffington Post | link to article
Businesses Deny the Facts on Paid Sick Days
A bill guaranteeing every worker in New York City the right to earn paid sick leave is currently being held up because of opposition from the 5 Boro Chamber Alliance, a coalition of the Chambers of Commerce from the city's five boroughs. Their opposition is a shame, because currently over one million New Yorkers don't receive paid sick leave.
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May 13, 2010 | By Aaron Rutkoff | Wall Street Journal Online Blog | link to article
Will Sick Days Cost Billions for NYC Businesses? San Francisco Says No
Legislation that would require all business in New York City to provide paid sick leave for workers is back before the City Council. At a hearing this week, business groups opposed to bill clashed with public health and labor advocates over the measure.
At the heart of the sick-leave dispute: wildly divergent estimates of the costs city business will incur if the legislation becomes law.
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April 29, 2010 | By Scott MacDonald | Connecticut Post | link to article
Paid sick leave: A pro-business proposal
A reasonable workplace standard for paid sick leave isn't just good for public health; it's also smart for businesses.
In my 15 years working in Connecticut as an employer-side labor lawyer and as a human resources consultant, I have found that employers reap benefits from well-crafted, progressive paid-leave policies -- including paid sick leave. I often advise businesses to add paid sick leave because it benefits both the employees and the employer. I encourage the Legislature to pass the proposal to set a basic standard for paid sick days statewide because it's actually a pro-business thing to do.
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January 25, 2010 | By Ann E. Marimow | The Washington Post | link to article
Many Workers Unaware of D.C. Sick-Leave Law Passed in 2008
More than a year after the District became the second city in the nation to require most employers to provide paid sick leave, proponents of the law say many workers are unaware of their rights and businesses are unclear about their responsibilities.
Advocates for low-wage workers and business leaders say the Fenty administration has delayed finalizing new rules that would get the word out to the community. Until those regulations are spelled out, critics say, workers are not guaranteed protection.
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January 4, 2010 | By Jodie Levin-Epstein | The Huffington Post | link to article
Peaceful Revolution: Paid Leave Makes Horse Sense
Vacations are good for your health. And, you don't need to get away to any fancy Caribbean retreat to get the benefit of time-off from work. But it helps if you are a horse. In New York City, that is.
The City's Health Department has proposed new rules for those horses hitched to carriages that carry tourists around parts of town. If implemented, the horses would get 5 weeks of job-protected vacation. During their time off, the horses would continue to enjoy their standard payment -- room and board, along with grooming. It is a reasonable business decision to invest in these workers since the vacation time will likely prolong their work-life and enhance their productivity.
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November 24, 2009 | By Kate Thomas | SEIU Blog | link to article
Even the Chamber doesn't want to sit next to the Chamber
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is fast becoming the smelly kid at school no one wants to sit next to. Yesterday, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce publicly distanced itself from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, becoming the second Local Chamber group in less than a week to speak out against the parent organization. Seattle Chamber President and CEO Phil Bussey released a policy statement to clarify the matter, saying:
"In short, we are the ‘captains of our own destiny' and our positions are not dictated by the U.S. Chamber on this or any other matter."
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August 25, 2008 | By Kelly Spores | Wall Street Journal Blog | link to article
Should Employers Be Required To Give Paid Sick Days?
Is paid sick leave unhealthy for small businesses?
That's what critics say about the new push in some states and cities to require employers to give workers paid sick leave. They say the mandates are especially harmful for small businesses.
February 25, 2008 | By Shia Levitt | NPR Morning Edition | link to article
San Francisco Tries New Sick Leave Policy
San Francisco began the nation's only mandatory paid sick leave policy one year ago. Now, a dozen states and the District of Columbia are watching San Francisco's progress as they consider whether to adopt similar policies.