Pittsburgh (July 7, 2015) –
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) which represents 15,000
small businesses in Pennsylvania, many of which are in the Pittsburgh area,
opposes the mandated leave bill introduced by Councilman Corey O’Connor today.
NFIB
members are not opposed to providing paid leave, and in fact many small
businesses choose to offer such a benefit.
But mandating such a benefit will hurt certain small businesses that
simply cannot afford to pay employees who do not come to work.
“By
requiring paid leave by all levels of businesses and mandating up to 72 hours
of leave for many employers, our research shows this would be among the most
onerous leave policies in the country,” said NFIB Legislative Director, Neal
Lesher.
“We
will see small businesses cutting hours or other benefits to cover the cost of
mandated leave. When government puts its thumb on the scale there are always
winners and losers.
“Most
small businesses do accommodate workers who need time off. Unlike big corporations, local owners know
their employees personally and they want to treat them fairly. But when there is a mandate all that
flexibility disappears.
“If a business with 10 employees loses one for a week, the
workforce is down ten percent. That
affects productivity and profitability.
Having to pay the absent working on top of that adds to the cost.
“A patchwork of different mandated leave laws in various parts of
the state creates even more complexity and confusion for businesses that have
several locations where those laws vary,” said Lesher
NFIB supports a bill passed by the state Senate earlier this year,
SB 333, which affirms that mandatory leave policies, like other areas of
employment law, should be considered at the state level to ensure uniformity
for all Pennsylvania employers.
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