Making the Real-World Case for Paid Sick Days - : Jump to: Search, Content, Nav
April 26, 2012
The Case for Earned Sick Time
As business owners, women want to offer good benefits, but they are often at an unfair disadvantage without a minimum standard in place. When they do decide to offer fair wages and benefits, they run the risk of being undercut by the competition. The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce strongly and enthusiastically endorses the earned sick time legislation because it supports small businesses, benefits workers and encourages an equitable workplace for women across the Commonwealth.
April, 25, 2012
Dunkin' Donuts Protest Calls for Sick Days
NEW BEDFORD — A dozen protesters clad in bright orange T-shirts marched and chanted in front of Dunkin' Donuts on Kempton Street today, calling for that corporation and others to provide workers with earned sick time.
April 2, 2012
Mass. Needs Sick Leave Mandate
For the nearly 1 million Massachusetts workers and their families, proper health care is largely out of reach. That's because they don't have basic, paid sick days - and it means higher costs for them, their employers and our communities.

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Making the Real-World Case for Paid Sick Days

Making the real-world case for paid sick leave     
Written by Sen. Dan Wolf  
The Barnstable Patriot  
December 16, 2011 

After more than two decades building a business, starting with six employees and creating more than a thousand jobs, making payroll and making decisions that impact my community as well as my company, I’m blessed to be able to bring a hands-on, real-world perspective to my work as state senator.

That experience is front and center in the committee I co-chair, Labor and Workforce Development. Along these lines, here’s one question we are taking a hard look at: Should the Commonwealth require employers to offer paid sick time off to people who work in our state?

Legislation filed would do just that, and I’m interested in taking a hard look at every aspect of how this policy would impact our community. For example, I do not believe that small and seasonal businesses should be treated the same as large businesses. And I believe that employees must show a record of continuous employment before taking paid time.

That said, here’s my position:
Paid sick leave should become part of the accepted responsibility of running a business in Massachusetts. To me, this is both humane and smart. A simple, consistent paid sick leave policy would make for a better work environment defined both in terms of quality of life and, long term, the bottom line.

From the very beginning, Cape Air, the airline I founded, has offered paid time off for all employees – as have many successful businesses across the region and state. I can say from hard-won experience that this “benefit” does not break the bank. It is a minimal cost, often returned in spades when a grateful, trusted, productive employee returns to work.

Read the full story here at the Barnstable Patriot.