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Issue 4 is Anti Economic Development for Ohio

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    Posted: Aug 22 2008 at 11:17am

Governor, Lt. Governor Statement on
Paid Sick-Day Ballot Initiative

 

Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher today issued the following statement regarding their opposition to Issue 4, the proposed paid sick-day initiative, on the ballot this November:

 

“While important members of the business community and SEIU participated in good faith discussions, it was, unfortunately, not possible to achieve a compromise acceptable to a sufficient portion of the business community and the proponents to cause its removal from the ballot. We regret that a reasonable compromise was not possible. This reality means that there will be a hard fought campaign centering on this initiative in the coming months. During that campaign, we call upon both sides to avoid portraying Ohio as unfriendly to business and economic development.

 

“We also recognize it is important to make clear our thoughts on important public policy issues and today are announcing that we cannot support the paid sick-day ballot initiative.  While we would hope that all Ohio businesses would make paid sick days available to their employees whenever possible, we believe that this initiative is unworkable, unwieldy and would be detrimental to Ohio's economy, and we will be opposing it and asking Ohioans to oppose it as a result.”

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.308 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote .308 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 22 2008 at 4:44pm

Just another case of "Let's all vote ourselves into the unemployment line". And I am sure we will.

In my opinion.

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VietVet View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 23 2008 at 10:13am
Just curious. In most corporations and in smaller companies, does the upper echelon management get sick time off? I've worked for large corporations such as P&G, International Paper, and Mobay Chemical and know that there was no such thing as accrued sick days (or days specifically set aside to use as sick days) for the workers.You just took the time you needed (up to three days without an doctor's note)as long as it wasn't abused. Same with the smaller companies I've worked for, UNTIL, I started working, three years ago, for the University Of Dayton Research Institute at Wright Patterson AFB. This "sick time hour accumulation" is new to me also. Do the managers of any of these companies get specific "sick time hours" that the "regular Joe" workers don't receive? If so, why do the workers have to pay the price by losing pay, when they are actually sick( and don't abuse the system) and the managers get the benefit of the doubt by the sick time reward? I would suspect that things like this start unions. Workers do get sick occasionally. Shouldn't they have some program to take care of them in case they do get sick or is it "to he-- with the workers" and "you're special" to the managers?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 23 2008 at 1:07pm
my small company(getting smaller every year) has always given five "sick days" along with paid vacation time. Salaried force pretty much six days and not strictly monitored until abuse. "Sick days" are impossible to accurately monitor as far as honesty, and I seldom challenge them. If I have to add two more, then I will survive, though I am very concerned on how this whole legislation will be defined, and written to be used.
 
I hear from our Chamber that I will be mandated to add an ADDITIONAL seven days on top of my already paid five. I don't buy this definition, and if this is the case, then I have a serious problem for obvious reasons.
 
Now our Gov. and virtually everyone is coming out against this legislation.
 
I have no problem with this benefit, however when big labor and gov.beaurocracy become involved, I smell an abusive nightmare where, as always, the small business gets hammered.
 
Good responsible employees don't lose their jobs for missing work because of illness or difficult family situations. Usually poor employees who abuse the system play their way out because they are more problems then the are a benefit.
 
How does my thinking(as an employer) stack up with the rest of you?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pacman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 23 2008 at 7:06pm
Spider you need a new Chamber...hahahahaha.  If this passes it will cost jobs especially with companies that have 25-30 employees.  But hey you can call in sick at least 56 times a year maybe even 224 times a year, or tie one on the night before and come to work an hour late and say you were sick and only use an hour of your sick leave.  Got to love Ohio and its Union backed laws or attempts at laws.Wink
 
Questions and Answers About the Proposed Ohio Healthy Families Act

Initiated Legislation backed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Q. What does this proposed law require?

A. This proposed law requires all Ohio employers with 25 or more employees to provide seven paid sick days to all employees working 30 hours or more per week and a pro rated amount of paid sick leave annually to all employees working less than 30 hours per week or less than 1,560 hours per year.

Q. Don’t Ohio employers already have to provide sick leave?

A. Currently, companies with 50 or more employees must comply with the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). FMLA requires employers to provide uncompensated time off for personal health conditions and certain family medical situations. The Ohio Healthy Families Act greatly increases the number of companies that must comply with mandated paid sick leave and allows the leave to be taken for any medical condition including elective surgeries.

Q. For what circumstances can an employee use paid sick leave?

A. Under this proposal, employees would be able to use paid sick leave for any absence resulting from a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition of the employee or family member. Paid sick leave would also be allowed to be used for time missed for doctor’s visits for the employee or the employee’s family member.

Q. What kind of medical documentation does the employee have to provide?

A. Unless three consecutive days are missed, no medical documentation can be required. For leave that is three consecutive days or longer, an employee will have 30 days to produce certification from a health care professional.

Q. With documentation only required for three consecutive days, won’t the mandate be abused?

A. While the majority of employees don’t abuse company policies, there are those employees who do. If employees have 30 days in which to produce documentation, the employee could be paid for the leave before documentation is produced. An employer cannot delay the commencement of the leave just because the employee has not yet produced documentation.

Q. Do other states provide mandate sick leave?

A. This proposal would make Ohio the only state in the nation that would require paid sick leave. Thus, putting Ohio at a severe disadvantage when trying to attract new companies and jobs to the state and discouraging existing companies to expand. There are several states with paid sick leave proposals pending in their respective legislatures. But, the city of San Francisco and Washington DC are the only jurisdictions that have enacted such a policy.

Q. Where did this proposal come from?

A. This proposal is similar to the federal Healthy Families Act proposed several times in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The latest version of this federal bill was introduced in March 2007 and is currently pending in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions but no action has been taken. In states and cities where similar proposals are being debated, paid sick leave has the backing of labor unions. Even though the labor unions claim the proposal is good for business, everyone knows that mandating benefits reduces flexibility and adds unnecessary costs.

Q. Are there any other motives behind this proposal?

A. This proposal is probably another get out the vote issue that tries to deliver people to the polls for the national presidential election. However, if Ohio’s proposal is enacted, it will be the ONLY state in the union with a mandated sick leave policy.

Q. What is the status of Ohio’s proposal?

A. The labor unions that are pushing this issue collected enough signatures to place it before the Ohio General Assembly. The legislature has until May 2008 to act on the legislation. If no action is taken by the legislature or if the legislature passes something that is unacceptable to the union, another 120,683 signatures must be collected to place the issue before the voters on the November 4, 2008, ballot.

Q. Will this apply to a company that is headquartered out of state but has employees in

Ohio?

A. As long as a company employs at least 25 people in Ohio, the law will apply irregardless of the out of state company’s paid time off policy. Thus, companies would not have consistent leave policies from state to state.

Q. Does the employee have to take the paid leave in increments of full days?

A. No, the paid leave can be used on an hourly basis or in the smallest increment used to track the employee’s time. So if time is tracked in hours, paid sick leave can be taken in one-hour increments. If an employee took sick leave in only one-hour increments, he or she could be absent 56 times during the year (seven days times eight hours in a day). If time is tracked in 15-minute increments, it can be taken in 15-minute increments. Thus, an employee could be absent 224 times during the year (an eight hour day has 32, 15-minute increments times seven days).

Q. What about those companies where employee schedules vary from week to week?

A. For employees whose schedule varies on a weekly basis, a weekly average of hours worked over a 12-week period must be used to calculate the accrual of sick leave. This means additional paperwork and additional staff time for companies to keep track of accrued time.

Q. What if a company already provides paid sick leave?

A. An employer with a policy is not required to modify its policy IF the existing policy is at least equivalent to the mandated sick leave. So employers will have to review their policies to make sure they are providing “equivalent” leave. But, the proposal is very vague and it is not entirely clear whether a company that provides seven days of paid time off would satisfy the mandated seven days of paid sick leave.

Q. When does an employee become eligible to use paid sick leave?

A. Sick leave would accumulate at least monthly and begin accruing upon hire. However, employers would not be required to grant sick leave during the first 90 days of employment. So if employees currently begin accruing sick leave after a probationaly period, the employer may need to change its policy so that employees accrue it sooner.

Q. Will this proposal allow employees to carry over unused sick days?

A. Unused sick days may be accumulated from year to year, but employers would not be required to permit the accumulation of more than seven days per year. It is unclear what this means because details of the proposal are not spelled out. For example, it is not clear whether an employee can carry over sick days from year to year allowing an indefinite number of days to be accrued.

Q. When an employee leaves the company for any reason, are they required to be compensated for unused sick leave?

A. The initiated legislation is vague in this area so it will be left up to the employer to interpret the intent of the law. This could cause the company to spend unnecessary funds and time consulting attorneys for an answer. 

Information provided by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 24 2008 at 6:56am
wow
I don't see how any employer could support this legislation.
This is a beaurocratic nightmare
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HereIam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 27 2008 at 2:38pm

I agree this legislation would be a nightmare.  Just the bookkeeping aspect of documenting sick leave in 15 minute increments along would be daunting. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Beagle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 27 2008 at 3:28pm
Even our liberal Democrat Governor gets it, and I quote, "we cannot support the paid sick-day ballot initiative."
John Beagle

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News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 6:59am
John- you are aware that a person can be a Democrat and not be so far left that he is labeled a liberal, aren't you? I am a Democrat who doesn't believe in freeby programs and some of the leeches that use them. I also believe in gun ownership and the death penalty just like the Repubs.I also detest the power of major corporations and, unlike SOME Repubs, believe in accountability from corporations. In other words, I'm not at all like a John Boehner, who gives free reign to, always supports, and is bought and sold by corporations. I like how SOME Repubs ASSUME all Democrats are automatically liberal- extreme left people.Not true! Repubs are awfully loose with the labeling game that is played. Why do you automatically label Strickland(or any Democrat) a liberal? Can't he be a Moderate Democrat? I bring to your attention that you are the catalyst for this response with your labeling.I'm just reacting.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arwendt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 11:02am

Good points VieVet.

Ones party affiliation gives them no monopoly on common sense or integrity. (Speaking of politicians)
 

This reminds me of a quote I put on my blog last week from Ronald Regan. Who I believe was one of our last presidents to have the right idea on the role of our government.

http://wordsoffreedom.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/ronald-regan-on-protection/

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown News Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 2:50pm
You sound like a conservative democrat.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote .308 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 9:36am
I saw this story in the journal a few days back. They listed some very large numbers and from what I scanned it looked like a very large negative for Ohio businesses.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown News Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 04 2008 at 12:04pm
Paid Sick Leave Mandate To Be Pulled From November Ballot!

In a press conference this morning, backers of Issue 4 announced that a request would be made to have mandated paid sick leave removed from the November ballot.  This announcement comes just one day prior to the deadline for doing so.  Although Issue 4 will not appear on the ballot, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) vowed to make mandated sick leave a national priority and pledged to work in Congress to pass a similar proposal.  

In August, NFIB released a study which found that Issue 4 would cost Ohio 75,000 jobs and would cost Ohio businesses $9.4 billion in lost sales.  Shortly after the release of this study, Governor Ted Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher joined the small business community, House Speaker Jon Husted, Senate President Bill Harris in opposing the mandate.     

source: NFIB

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pacman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 04 2008 at 12:09pm
Commonsense takes hold even if only temporarily.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown News Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 05 2008 at 9:21am
This just in, Unemployment 6.1%

up .4% more than expected.

What is Middletown's rate?


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