This is the kind of story that makes me want to pull my hair out:
New York City is poised to mandate that thousands of companies provide paid time off for sick employees, bolstering a national movement that has been resisted by wary business leaders.
A legislative compromise reached on Thursday night represents a raw display of political muscle by a coalition of labor unions and liberal activists who overcame fierce objections from New York’s business-minded mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, and his allies in the corporate world.
The deal required a high-profile concession from a leading candidate to succeed Mr. Bloomberg, Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, who had single-handedly blocked action on the sick-leave issue for three years, arguing that it would inflict damage on the city’s fragile economy.
The legislation would eventually force companies with at least 15 employees to give full-time workers five compensated days off a year when they are ill, a requirement that advocates said would allow much of the city’s labor force to stay home from work without fear of losing a day’s wage — or worse, a job. The advocates said the legislation would provide paid sick leave for one million New Yorkers who do not currently have such benefits.
But to the disappointment of those who pushed for a more sweeping version of the legislation, New York City’s mandate would not take effect until spring 2014, and for the first 18 months, it would apply only to businesses with 20 or more employees, according to people involved in the negotiations.
The measure is subject to a vote by the City Council. Mr. Bloomberg is expected to veto the measure, but there is enough support on the Council to override his veto.
My god. What an onerous fucking concession. People who hire people will have to pay them up to FIVE (5) whole fucking days. Can you imagine that? When people get sick, they will actually be able to go to the doctor and get themselves healthy without losing their jobs. The horror. How will capitalism survive with free-loading employees whose wages have been stagnant for three decades able to take a day or two off when they have strep throat or the yearly flu (since anyone pissed off about this law is most assuredly not providing health care or flu shots)? Can our economy recover with this kind of regulation?
The reason I want to scream is because this is being portrayed as a labor “victory.” If this is a victory, allowing sick people to not get fired, the power of unions is radically overstated.
Fucking fascist Bloomberg of course was against this. He just wants to make sure with the 9 bucks an hour you make living in NY you don’t spend it on high calorie drinks.
All of these people need to see a guillotine.