12/07/2006
Susan Eckerly, NFIB's vice president for federal policy, recently discussed the burden of mandated paid time off on CNBC's Squawk Box.
Workplace issues will continue to be top agenda items in the 110th Congress. In addition to minimum-wage increases, the issue of mandatory paid time off may be another issue under consideration by the new Congress. Last year, Sen. Ed Kennedy introduced a bill that would require businesses with 15 or more employees to provide seven sick days each year. NFIB members oppose this type of mandate, as it is intrusive and unnecessary.
Most small-business owners already provide a great amount of flexibility in allowing their employees to take time off for family or medical purposes. Government mandates take away small employers' and employees' freedom to negotiate a benefits package that best meets their mutual needs. These types of onerous mandates require extra--and often complicated--paperwork. Most importantly, with every mandate the government places on our nation's small-business owners, a greater the financial strain is placed on our nation's job builders.
