NEW YORK Small business owners rallied on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to voice their opposition to a measure mandating paid sick leave for employees in New York City, one of several states and municipalities across the country weighing such legislation.
Employers argue that paid sick leave would increase operating expenses and further hamstring businesses already struggling in the down economy, leading to reduced economic and job growth.
If the measure passes, New York would become the third city behind San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to require businesses to offer paid sick leave to employees. Similar measures have been introduced in 15 states, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine and Ohio, although none have passed into law. At the federal level, the Healthy Families Act, which would provide up to seven days of paid sick leave, was introduced earlier this year in the House and Senate, and has garnered support from President Obama.
Read more: http://nrn.com/article/paid-sick-leave-takes-center-stage-nyc#ixzz1dkmQYr26
Denver voters reject sick leave bill
Denver voters on Tuesday shot down a proposal to require employers to offer paid sick leave after weeks of divisive debate that pitted business owners against their workers.
Known as Initiative 300, the paid sick leave mandate was on a ballot initiative on which 104,217 people voted. Of those, 36 percent, or 37,498 voters said yes, while 64 percent, or 66,719, rejected the measure.
Read more: Nation’s Restaurant News
Related Story: Paid sick leave takes center stage in NYC