Paid sick leave has a number of social and business benefits. It keeps sick people out of the workplace, protecting public health and helping workers recover more quickly from illnesses, and it also creates more productivity and reduces turnovers in the business sector. Numerous states are beginning to consider mandatory paid sick leave rather than leaving it at the discretion of employers, in the interest of providing more worker protections and improving public health. Senators Eichelberger and Boscola want to turn back time on the growing movement for paid sick leave by passing a law banning mandates in counties and municipalities -- like the proposal being weighed in Philadelphia after a committee found that the city would benefit from and should implement a sick leave policy.
Dear Senators Eichelberger and Boscola,
Your memorandum of intent demonstrating a plan to propose a ban on paid sick leave laws is dangerous and unproductive for the state of Pennsylvania. Many states across the country are weighing sick leave mandates to protect employees and employers alike -- everyone benefits from such laws, which cut public health expenses, reduce employee turnover, and allow sick workers to take recovery time. Rather than protecting businesses, you'll actually be harming them, all while turning back the clock on employment reform. Your proposed bill would also punish municipalities that require companies to provide paid time off and even unpaid leave to domestic violence victims and others who might require additional labor protections.
Please reconsider this bill; instead, perhaps you should convene a committee to research paid sick leave and determine if it's the right fit for Pennsylvania's state-level workplace laws.
