07/06/2007
Though card-check and immigration bills recently stalled in the Senate, Big Labor is still determined to throw its weight around with its proposal of government-mandated paid sick leave. NFIB will fight any proposals that would mandate paid sick leave because of the tremendous burden the legislation would place on small-business owners and their employees.
NFIB is gearing up to fight S. 910, the "Healthy Families Act," introduced recently by Sen. Ted Kennedy (Mass.). The legislation--which also has a companion bill in the house--would require small businesses with 15 or more employees to give each employee seven days of paid sick leave. Congress is expected to consider the legislation later this year.
Most small-business owners already have their own guidelines regarding time off, and they often are more flexible than what the government would require. A 2004 NFIB National Small-Business Poll showed that small-business owners grant virtually all requests for family and medical leave. A government mandate could very well create a worse situation for both the employee and the business owner.
NFIB strongly opposes legislation that would increase the number of businesses required to offer paid sick leave, since the proposals ignore the question of whether or not a small employer can afford to keep a position open until an employee returns from leave. For a 15-person company, losing even just one employee can be crippling.
Government-mandated sick leave would affect more small-business owners than ever before, and would increase the amount of time, money and paperwork spent on compliance. The new legislation would also interfere with small business' flexibility, one of its strong points when competing for employees.
NFIB will fight hard against the "Healthy Families Act," and we will remind Congress that small-business owners already offer their workers flexibility in times of needed time off.
How you can help
Contact your lawmakers and let them know that government-mandated sick leave would be destructive for small business, opening the door for increased litigation and onerous compliance burdens. Make them aware that you are successfully running your business and managing your employees, and that you don't need one more government regulation to interfere with your business.
