Conn. poised to be first state to mandate sick pay, By Jennifer Ludden, June 6, 2011, National Public Radio: “As many Americans watch their job benefits shrink amid tight budgets, Connecticut is about to defy the trend: It’s set to become the first state to mandate paid sick days for some low-wage workers. Across the country, 40 million people have no paid sick time, and advocates now see momentum for a national movement. Connecticut’s Democratic governor, Dan Malloy, campaigned on this issue and has said he’ll sign the bill that passed its final legislative hurdle early Saturday morning, after a daylong debate. It would provide up to a week of paid sick time, largely to service workers in companies with 50 or more employees…”
Tag: Sick leave
Sick Leave Legislation
- Bill voiding sick leave law sent to Walker, By Patrick Marley, April 12, 2011, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Milwaukee’s ordinance requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave would be voided under a bill Assembly Republicans sent Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday. Walker said he is likely to sign the measure. The city’s sick leave ordinance was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2008 but has never gone into effect because of legal challenges. The Assembly voted 59-35 to ensure it would never be implemented. ‘This bill is a slap in the face to the people of the City of Milwaukee,’ said Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee). ‘This was not just some fluke referendum. This was a hard-fought campaign. People were well educated on both sides.’ But Republicans said the sick leave ordinance would cost Milwaukee business. Changing state law would allow employers to expand and hire more workers, they said…”
- Patrick aide gives backing to proposal for paid sick days, By Kyle Cheney, April 13, 2011, Boston Globe: “Governor Deval Patrick’s top labor adviser threw the administration’s weight behind a proposal yesterday that would require employers to allow workers to earn seven paid sick days a year, calling the proposal a ‘basic right.’ Joanne Goldstein, secretary of labor and workforce development, argued that the plan would enhance workplace productivity, and rejected assertions that sick leave policies should be left up to individual businesses. But at a State House briefing on the issue, flanked by members of the Paid Leave Coalition and supportive lawmakers, Goldstein went further…”
Paid Family Leave – California
Study: Paid family leave raises satisfaction without killing jobs in California, By Niesha Lofing, January 11, 2011, Sacramento Bee: “California’s landmark Paid Family Leave program didn’t amount to be the costly ‘job-killer’ businesses initially feared and has resulted in significant economic, social and health benefits for both male and female workers, economic and labor researchers found in a study released today. The study by University of California Los Angeles, City University of New York and the Center for Economic and Policy Research is the first study of the state’s Paid Family Leave since the law’s passage in 2002. The program, the benefits of which became available to most working Californians in July 2004, provides eligible employees up to six weeks of wage replacement leave at 55 percent of their usual weekly earnings (with a cap that is adjusted for inflation) when they take time off from work to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill relative. Researchers Eileen Appelbaum and Ruth Milkman noted that, despite business opposition to the law, most employers they surveyed reported that the program had either a ‘positive effect’ or ‘no noticeable effect’ on productivity, profitability and performance, turnover and morale…”