John Petro
Blog Post List
November 29, 2010
This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post When explaining her reasons for killing paid sick leave legislation earlier this year, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said that the economic costs associated with the bill would be too great. The bill's opponents--including Mayor Bloomberg--agreed that guaranteeing every worker the right to earn paid sick leave was the right thing to do, but the bill ultimately lived or died by its perceived economic impact. The city's leading big-business lobbyists estimated how much the bill would cost businesses based on the results of an...
MomsRising
Together
August 26, 2010
Despite having a veto-proof number of supporters in the City Council, a bill that would guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick leave is being stalled by the business community. This is not particularly surprising, given that businesses have generally fought against raising workplace standards throughout our history. Not surprising, perhaps, but frustrating given the vast field of research that shows paid sick leave does not negatively impact businesses (in fact, there are concrete benefits for businesses). Even more frustrating is that New York City’s bill, which has the overwhelming...
MomsRising
Together
July 28, 2010
We need federal legislation like the Healthy Families Act to guarantee paid sick time to all working Americans. But it’s possible to make significant progress even when Congress is slow to act. States and cities across the nation can take action independently to ensure that their own residents can access this critical workplace benefit. These local efforts build momentum and help to illustrate the widespread benefits of guaranteeing paid sick time. After all, the first paid sick time law in the United States was enacted at the city level in San Francisco. And San Francisco’s successful...
MomsRising
Together