Ready for Mandated Sick Leave?

NAWBO-Inland Empire Chapter is dedicated to keeping public policy in the forefront of women business owners. It is my intention as Public Policy Chair to bring bills, both good and bad, to your attention. It is your responsibility to use your voice to let our state legislators know what we need and what we will pay for.

Ready for mandated sick leave? Pull out your checkbook! AB 2716 if passed will mandate that all employers pay sick leave to employees after working seven days in a calendar year and accrued hours would be available for use after 90 days of employment! There are penalties for non-compliance. Union-represented employees who receive sick days via the union are exempted from employer-paid sick days.

According to the bill, employers will accrue on behalf of the employees one hour of sick pay for every 30 hours worked. That equates to over eight paid days of work annually. AB 2716 enumerates all the reasons why employees should have sick pay.

However, my concern with the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 as a business owner is, why does this responsibility fall to me, the employer? Why am I responsible to make sure that someone I didn’t know seven days ago can take care of a sick family member at my expense? How am I to recoup the cost of the “sick” employee’s production that day? I’ve not only lost the production, I’ve also lost the paid cost of the sick pay on top of the lost production. How am I expected to make up that loss? Cutting payroll would be one solution that comes to mind.

This bill stinks for me. How about you? Don’t you want control over the benefits you provide? Do you believe as employers we have a greater responsibility to support society than the individuals that make up the society?

Click the link below and read it for yourself.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2701-2750/ab_2716_bill_20080619_amended_sen_v97.pdf

Here is the link for the supporting documents. Check these out:

http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery

Share your comments and concerns with AB 2716 by commenting to this blog and writing the author of the bill and your state representatives with your opposition. Today’s blog addresses a bill authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D). You can send your correspondence to the addresses below.

455 Golden Gate Avenue
Suite 14600
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-2312 Fax: (415) 557-1178

State Capitol
Room 2176
Sacramento, CA 94249-0012
(916) 319-2012 Fax: (916) 319-2112


Just as important, you can also contact your local state legislators to let them know how you feel about it. To find them, go to http://www.congress.org/ and look for the link to state legislators. It’s as simple as entering your zip code—your representatives contact info will be made available.

Get going!!! Read the bill and write your letter or send your fax! As employers, we need to stick together. Get involved! Use your voice!

Renée E. Cabourne, CFP®, CSA
NAWBO-IE 2008-2009 Public Policy Chair
NAWBO-IE 2006-2007 Past President
2007 ANITA Award Winner