Businesses leaders this week put pressure on City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to nix a proposal that would force companies to pay their workers for a certain amount of sick days, says the New York Post.
The bill, sponsored by Councilwoman Gale Brewer, D-Manhattan, would require companies with more than 20 employees to give nine annual paid sick days, while businesses with 19 or fewer workers must provide five days a year.
A letter signed by 177 business owners was delivered to Quinn, in response to a new push by the Working Families Party to get the bill into action, says the Post.
“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,” said a letter from the Coalition for a Healthy Economy.
“When hardworking New Yorkers have to choose between their family’s health and their jobs, it’s not just unfair — it’s also unhealthy for workers, businesses, and for the economy,” said Sherry Liewant, co-president of A Better Balance, which is pushing for the bill.
Quinn has repeatedly said she would not consider the bill, while Mayor Michael Bloomberg also voiced his opposition.
“This is not a good bill. This is a bill that would reduce employment in the city when we need employment in this city. And this populist thing — we’re going to protect everybody from everything — just isn’t consistent with having jobs for everybody.”
