There is a bill rolling around the City Council chambers – the Paid Sick Leave Bill – that is ill conceived and totally wrong for our business community, which is struggling to create jobs and claw its way out of our national recession.
This bill must die.
According to a report by the New York City Partnership, it would impose about $789 million in payroll costs to city employers, hitting the small businesses the hardest.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also warned that this bill is flawed, as this is not the time to burden businesses with added costs. He worries that job growth in this fragile recovering economy would suffer under the proposed sick leave law.
"Anything that hurts job creation, that makes it less attractive for businesses to hire people, is just not smart in this day and age," Bloomberg said.
Under the terms of the proposed legislation, businesses with 20 or fewer workers would be required to offer five sick days a year; those with over 20 employees would have to grant nine days of paid leave.
We believe the bill would be a roadblock for many small businesses from hiring new employees and could potentially drive some companies to New Jersey and the nearby suburbs.
We recommend killing the bill in its present form and consulting with the business community to revise the bill so the impact is not so harsh.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce has offered several points that the business community support as an alternative to the sick leave bill.
? Businesses shall not fire employees due to legitimate illnesses.
? It should be a shared funding alternative of employee and employer funding.
? Use NYC municipal employee paid sick leave benefits timeframe – 12 months of work, 32+ hours per week, and 1,250 hours per year.
? Tax credits for businesses to alleviate the financial burden of administration.
We implore the City Council to take their time and get it right! There is no rush, take the time to hear what the city’s businesses have to say and create a benefit that will not become a liability on the day it is passed.
