The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

March 17

Paid sick-leave mandate controversial

From staff and news services

You published a Maine Voices column on Jan. 24 saying that "Sick-leave mandate would hit business hard."

The truth is that the proposed sick-leave law would protect successful businesses from unfair competition from other less ethical businesses.

I have been practicing employment law in Maine for 35 years. Most businesses provide their employees with paid sick leave. Some do not.

Those that do not gain an economic advantage over their competitors by having a lower overhead cost. One small restaurant can lower prices to attract customers from another.

The goal of this kind of law is to set a floor below which competitors cannot compete. It protects one business from another. This approach was an express purpose of the minimum wage laws when they were passed, and it works well.

Donald F. Fontaine

Portland

 

There has been a lot of discussion about L.D. 1665, the legislation that would provide earned paid sick time for all Maine employees. What may have been missed is that this bill provides important support for Maine's families and children. Passage will help parents ensure the well-being of their families

It is critical that parents have paid sick time if there is a need to care for an ill child. It is especially important that the use of this time will not cause them to lose employment due to the need to provide care. No parent should have to choose between the health and safety of their child and their family's economic security.

Paid leave also helps the family maintain financial stability and helps employees remain productive.

All of these factors can reduce stress in a family, and stress reduction is an important additional benefit for children. We support economic development when we set public policies that help children grow up to reach their full potential.

Dean Crocker

President, Maine Children's Alliance

Augusta

 

Requiring employers to pay sick time is about as fair as requiring teachers to pay for students' coats because parents fail to foresee winter. What happened to personal responsibility for one's financial well-being? Employers are not nannies.

Sick pay is a benefit. It's neither an entitlement nor a civil right. It's paid by employers whose profit margins allow them to do so. Not every employer is so blessed, unfortunately.

What I would suggest to people who can't afford to take an unpaid sick day is this: Eat out one time less each month and put the savings in your own "sick day fund."

That puts the onus of responsibility exactly where it belongs. And it would stop those employees (and we all know who they are) who would enjoy nothing more than squandering their boss's "sick pay" for a day at the beach.

Marc McCutcheon

South Portland

 

I am deeply disappointed by your editorial printed on Jan. 16 titled "Maine shouldn't lead on paid sick-day mandate." As someone living and working in Maine, raising two kids as a single parent, I can see you've really missed the mark.

In my family we've made sacrifices due to the recession. The holidays were a little smaller this year, we're eating at home more often and renting movies instead of going to the theater. I'm so thankful that I haven't had to sacrifice my own health or that of my children.

When my son contracted H1N1, I stayed home from work to care for him. And when I contracted H1N1 while caring for him, I continued to stay home from work. You see, I'm one of the lucky ones. I do have paid sick days and I work at a business that allows me the flexibility to use my sick time to take care of my kids when they are sick. So I don't need to choose between my pay and my health or the health of my family.

Too many Mainers don't have it so good. There are more than 200,000 workers who don't have a single paid sick day. These workers need this basic workplace benefit and contrary to what your editorial suggests, these working moms and dads can't afford to wait for federal action.

Kerry Gallivan

Yarmouth

Maine seniors overwhelmingly support L.D. 1665, a bill that will allow all Maine workers to earn paid sick days. We recognize that as we age, our children step up to help us with our own health care needs.

Like it or not, our adult children want to be there for us when we need help. One hour here or there, a day or two at times, this time can make a world of difference in the quality of the lives of seniors, not to mention the health of our relationships with our children.

Maine seniors are a growing population. According to a report from economist Charles Colgan of the Muskie School, "Growth in the population 65 and older will substantially exceed growth in the total population in Maine from 2000-2030. In the (past) decade, the elderly growth rate (was) more than double that of total population growth, but in the next two decades (beginning in 2010) the elderly growth rate will approach triple the rate of general population growth."

Mr. Colgan points out that by 2030, more than a third of our population will be people 65 and older. L.D. 1665 is good for our aging population. It strengthens families and allows us to take the time we need to care for one another, time every family deserves.

John Carr

York

I have spoken with small businesses from Portland to Penobscot in the past few weeks and have found that, contrary to the Maine Chamber's statements, there are many small businesses that recognize and support the need for paid sick days.

These businesses know that paid sick days will benefit them in the long run with a healthier, more productive work force and a healthy and grateful customer base.

I was disappointed to read Jim Erwin's column on Jan. 24 ("Sick-leave mandate would hit business hard"). This will not be a policy that workers abuse; in fact, a recent Institute for Women's Policy Research study revealed that more than half (54 percent) of all workers who are covered by paid sick-day plans do not take any days off for illness or injury in a given year.

Moreover, paid sick days benefit our public health, our work force and our workplaces.

The same Institute for Women's Policy Research study revealed that the net savings of Maine's sick-day bill for employers will be about $4.18 per worker per week for covered workers, or about 13 cents an hour – that adds up to about $37 million in annual savings for all Maine employers.

These savings come from increased workplace productivity and a reduction in workplace turnover and contagion. The business owners I have worked with agree: L.D. 1665 is good for Maine's workplaces.

April Thibodeau

Organizer, Maine Small Business Coalition

Portland