South Shore Chamber of Commerce opposes Ballot Question 4; expanded mandated sick leave provisions

ROCKLAND, Mass. - Oct. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- The Board of Directors of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce (www.southshorechamber.org) has voted  to oppose “Question Four,” a November ballot question that would mandate employers to provide employees sick time according to certain provisions.

Under the proposed initiative, employees who work for employers having eleven or more employees could earn and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per calendar year, while employees working for smaller employers could earn and use up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time per calendar year.

Peter Forman, the Chamber’s CEO and President, said the proposal “ignores the reality that most employers currently accommodate employees who are ill and it is almost unheard of that an employee who is legitimately sick would be forced to show up to work or lose their job.”  The proposal is more about creating flexible personal time for all employees to address scheduling problems for medical appointments or family members. While that kind of flexibility is certainly desirable that does not mean that what is good for every employer or even employee is good for every other businesses and its employees.

He added that the proposal also “shifts the discussion about benefits to new ground based solely on how many hours someone has worked without regard to how long they have been with a company or whether they are seasonal or part-time v. full-time employees.” An employee could use earned sick time if required to miss work for medical appointments for themselves or family members and if family members are ill, even if the employee is healthy and able to work.  Employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked.  The 30 hours can be in a single week or over the course of a year.   It is also concerning that the benefit can be used for partial days off giving employees an opportunity to simply make their own schedules during the day rather than actually having to stay at home for an illness.

“We recognize the importance of taking care of employees, but also believe that there are enormous challenges on business owners already, and that additional regulation could be discouraging to businesses who are trying to work through what has been an economically challenging time,” said Forman.  “This will have unintended consequences for employees as well as employers and simply create compliance and enforcement nightmares for small businesses.”

About the South Shore Chamber of Commerce

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has long been recognized throughout the state as one of the most active and forceful advocates for the business community, and numbers among the larger Chambers of Commerce nationally. The South Shore Chamber is a not-for-profit association of businesses in the communities south of Boston. It is committed to helping its members grow their businesses and to improve the business climate in the region. Members range in size from major international corporations headquartered on the South Shore to small local firms and sole proprietorships. For additional information on the Chamber, please visit www.southshorechamber.org or call 781-421-3900.