Jefferson City, Mo (AP) – The voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska were asked last year whether they wanted to ask employers to give their employees paid for their workers. They mostly said yes.
Now some legislators in each of these states are trying to regain the advantages and call concerns of companies about the costs.
The efforts are the latest attempt by the legislator to change laws that are supported by the voters they represent. In February, for example, Michigan conducted a paid disease holiday law initiated by the voters seven years ago to delay the date on which miniature companies have to comply with and allow a longer period of time before novel employees are entitled.
Although some voters are outraged, some legislators claim that citizen activists who created the initiatives have overlooked the realities of leading a company.
The restaurant owner Tim Hart, who employs about two dozen workers in his steakhouse in Hannibal, Missouri, said that the requirement for the paid health vacation imposed a double financial goal because he had to pay a person to stay at home and another to meet the shift.
“If this comes into force, we will most likely not survive,” said Hart, who asked the Senate to stop the law.
The laws for the paid illness vacation will be entered in Missouri in Missouri on Thursday in Missouri, July 1st in Alaska and on October 1st.
Richard Eiker, McDonald’s restaurant worker, is one of those who benefit from it. He signed a petition that the initiative in Missouri made and recently traveled from Kansas City to the state capital to put the law to leave the law.
In 40 years Eiker has received never paid illness – not even if he had to struggle with a kidney stone.
“I just took a few painkillers and still went to work and just got the pain behind him,” said Eiker. “It would have been nice to have stayed at home.”
With lower wage workers, less likely paid illness is obtained
The federal law requires many employers to offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid vacation for personal or family medical questions. However, there is no federal mandate to pay for infirmed days.
Nevertheless, 79% of the private sector employees received a paid illness last year, according to the Ministry of Labor. Part -time employees received much less likely the advantage than their full -time colleagues. And only 58% of employees in the lower quarter The income earner received paid illness vacation, compared to 94% in the upper quartile.
Although it still took their own discretion for many employers, the number of states that prescribe the paid illness has been significantly increased since Connecticut passed the first law in 2012. The ballot of the past year increased a total of 18 states and the District of Columbia. Three additional states require the paid vacation for some reason to indicate without illness.
Many laws for illness vacation, including those in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska, apply to every employer with at least one employee. However, some states freed the smallest companies with cutoffs between five and 25 employees. The number of infirmed days paid also varies.
Missouri’s legislator wants it to be “less stressful” for employers
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the state of Missouris confirmed the disease vacation paid against a contestation of the corporate groups. But the efforts to revise it continues.
In March, the members of the Republican House passed legislation to raise the paid health vacation requirements. This was then blocked by Democrats of the Minority Party in the Senate. The Republicans therefore urge an alternative that will delay the law until later this year, freed smaller companies and take away the ability of the employees to sue suspected violations.
The intention is to “make employers a little less stressful,” said Republican Senator Mike Bernskoetter, a miniature business owner who supports the invoice.
But many workers already have a demanding time, said democratic legislators.
“If there are people who live salary check for salary check, it can really get them behind that a little work really gets behind them,” said the democratic state Senator Patty Lewis.
Nebraska’s senator warns of “huge over -bricks” by colleagues
The legal provisions driven by the Republican legislators in Nebraska would carry out exceptions from the paid health vacation for 14- and 15-year-old employees, short-lived and seasonal agricultural workers and companies with 10 or fewer employees.
Legislation would also freely sue employees from the ability to sue employers who revenge against them for the utilize of paid illness.
Supporters of the revisions say that they want to protect miniature companies from higher costs. Opponents say that they essentially shorten the law.
“We only talk about entire parts of the ballot papers that are exceeded,” said Senator John Cavanaugh in the recent debate. (*3*)
Alaska Labor Leader provides for a long fight for the wishes of the voters
A legislative proposal from the state MP Justin Ruffridge would exclude seasonal workers and companies with fewer than 50 employees from their requirements for health vacation. This could rule out a lot of catering for Alaska’s summer tourists.
Ruffridge, a member of the Republican minority of the house, said that miniature business owners should be able to decide whether they should spend money on the services or other measures for illness to expand their business.
Joelle Hall, President of Alaska Afl-Cio, which supported the ballot measurement, doubts that Ruffridge’s invoice will have gained traction in the last few weeks of this year.
But she said: “I think this is the beginning of a long struggle to protect the wishes of the voters from the will and the moods of the business people who do not want to pay for sick days.”
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Beck reported Lincoln, Nebraska and Bohrer from Juneau, Alaska.
