Study: Sick-Day Mandate Would Cost 75,000 Jobs

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Posted: 3:07 PM Aug 19, 2008
Last Updated: 3:07 PM Aug 19, 2008
Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: news@wsaz.com

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new study commissioned by a small business group says Ohio would lose 75,000 jobs in the next five years if voters approve a ballot issue that would give most full-time workers seven paid sick days a year.

The research conducted on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business in Ohio says 20 percent of those job losses would occur in businesses that employ one to 20 employees, even though those businesses would not be required to offer the sick days under the ballot proposal.

Bruce Phillips, an expert hired to conduct the research, said Tuesday the sick day mandate would force larger businesses to cut jobs or production, and that would hurt small business suppliers.

Supporters of the ballot issue, including several big labor unions, say 2 million Ohioans don't have any paid sick leave for themselves or their families.

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Posted by: johnny on Aug 22, 2008 at 09:01 PM
Figures the unions would be behind this. The same unions that have driven jobs straight out of Souther Ohio. Wake up and stop being so lazy. If you want a job with sick days and your current job doesn't have them, than go get a job that does. Take the bull by the horns and better yourself. Stop blaming other people for your problems.

Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 20, 2008 at 07:24 PM
It will increase the costs of doing business in the State Of Ohio. If you think companies considering locating in Ohio don't consider the cost differences between states then you are naive. It will cost Ohio jobs.

Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 20, 2008 at 07:17 PM
So workers aren't capable of managing their lives so they have the financial ability to call off when they are sick. This means the employer should pay for it? When did it become an employers responsibility to manage their employees finances? Whats next some employees are losing their houses because they are financially incompetent so employers should have to pay for their housing? What ever happened to personal responsibility?

Posted by: Chris on Aug 20, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Do the math. A small employer with 25 full time employees with an average wage of $10.00 per hour will have huge costs. (7(days)X 8 (Hours)X $10 = $560 per employee or $14,000.00 per year. You also have to include administration costs. These are the direct costs. The indirect costs are hidden in the way the proposed legislation is drafted. It begs for abuse from employees. Check out the following website for more information. http://www.playsickohio.com/

Posted by: to J on Aug 20, 2008 at 02:37 PM
Let's reverse your thinking. If I own a business, I still pay you to perform/produce. If you come in sick and work, then you're not performing at optimal efficiency, leading to a decrease in revenue for that day. In addition, you are also infecting other workers and decreasing their efficiency, leading to a general drop in production and profits. See what I did there?

Posted by: J on Aug 19, 2008 at 10:38 PM
I can tell you all are products of the public school system. Let me spell it out real clear and easy. If I own a business, I pay you to perform a service or produce a product. If I have to pay you and you are not producing something I can recoup my costs from, my revenues shrink and I either move to a less socialist state or I close my business. BUSINESS IS NOT IN BUSINESS OTHER THAN TO MAKE A PROFIT. It does not exist for lazy people to mooch off the system.

Posted by: Carrington on Aug 19, 2008 at 09:47 PM
Look if people were not so obese, drug addicted, and lazy we would not have to worry about sick days. Which part of limited government do you not understand cretins! The top 25% pay 86% of the taxes. Lets try to figure out how to make us less lazy and unproductive - not more!

Posted by: gene on Aug 19, 2008 at 06:18 PM
exactly how would sick days equate to lost jobs?

Posted by: jessica on Aug 19, 2008 at 05:46 PM
Ok, I don't believe that mandated sick days would cost that much. What I do believe is that it would cost less to allow a sick person to stay home rather than have to come to work and risk infecting others and having most empolyees out because of the illness and the business would lose more money.

Posted by: Debbie on Aug 19, 2008 at 04:10 PM
Here we go again, no one seems to want to help the average American employee. It is always about how it is going to hurt the employer and not now we CAN help the average American worker, who work just as hard as the lucky employees who have great benefits. In towns such as Portsmouth, Ohio, where there is very few well paying jobs, it is a ashame there aren't more laws to benefit the employee. I hope it makes it to the ballot in November - it has my vote!

Posted by: Swede's on Aug 19, 2008 at 04:02 PM
And how much was spent on this bogus report. Just more scare tactics to sway the way people vote.And there are ways to offset the cost,I currently work for a company that gave 7 paid sick days a year and when this came up they set up a program that took away the 7 days and developed a short term disability plan that goes into effect after being off sick for 2 days and they say it is cheaper than the 7 days plan so these companies need to get off their butts and check their options rather than just crying that they cant afford it and will have to do away with jobs.The cost of this so called survey would have probably covered the cost for several companies to go ahead and cover their workers, besides most companies when faced with higher cost dont cut production they up it to cover the cost so tell your lies elsewhere

Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 19, 2008 at 03:44 PM
I would like to know the exact figures for this study. Other studies have proven that mandatory sick days create more productive time and less money lost by the company, because employees don't come to work and make everyone else sick. I personally come to work sick and cough all over everyone because I don't get sick days.

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