Bill Needs Revision
Last week, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced her decision to oppose the current version of the Paid Sick Leave bill.
We were thrilled by her action and applaud Speaker Quinn’s decision. Her opposition to the bill is evidence that she recognizes the negative impact this would have on the employers who create and retain the jobs necessary for economic recovery.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce lobbied and spoke on the topic of the negative side of the bill in many forums, including in these pages. They offered the collective business acumen of their membership about the bill’s impact on all employers, from “mom and pop” operations to multi-million dollar corporations.
Changes that affect a business’s bottom line without any recourse or exemptions cannot and must not be passed with a “damn what comes next” attitude. As the Chamber pointed out in their reaction to Quinn’s decision: “Having government micro-manage the way independent businesses are run flies in the face of everything that allows the creativity of entrepreneurship to thrive in this city.”
The Chamber, as we do, fully recognizes the good intentions of this bill; however the reality is there is an unintended consequence that would ultimately hurt the NYC workers it purports to help.
Rework the bill – after the recovery – and give businesses something back in return in the way of tax credits for covering their employees with sick pay benefits.
Good leadership on this issue by Speaker Quinn — very mayoral!
Queens Candidates
We are proud to bring you our Special Meet the Candidates Section in this issue. With the November 2 Election Day less than two weeks away, The Queens Courier wanted to make sure its readers knew who was running for what seat and where the candidates stood on certain issues.
During the past month, we canvassed every single candidate who is on the ballot that a Queens voter could vote for, including U.S. Senate, Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, State Senate and Congress.
We had them answer a few simple questions in 300 words or less that will provide you with some basic insights about the people you will choose between at the polls.
Remember to vote on November 2.
