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Restaurant Association, Big Bucks Donors Defeat Denver Sick-Days Measure for Low-Wage Workers
AFL-CIO ^ | Nov 2, 2011 | Adele Stan

Posted on 11/02/2011 4:44:35 PM PDT by mdittmar

Advocates for working families in Denver had hoped to pass a measure in local elections that would have mandated paid sick leave for low-wage workers, but on Tuesday the measure was defeated by Denver voters, who were inundated with advertisements against the measure known as Initiative 300. Opposed by the National Restaurant Association and several local Chambers of Commerce, proponents of the family-friendly measure found themselves outspent by almost two-to-one.

On the Family Values @ Work website, Executive Director Ellen Bravo writes:

Deep-pocketed may have defeated Initiative 300 in Denver, but they can’t stop the momentum for paid sick days around the country.

We salute the broad coalition in Denver, made up of 160 grassroots groups and business owners, who made visible the incredible need in their city for allowing workers to earn paid sick days. Thanks to the hard work of this coalition, the people of Denver have begun to make themselves heard.

Their voices will be magnified by groups across the country who will continue to add to the wins our movement has already achieved.



TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: obama; pelosi; reid; unions
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1 posted on 11/02/2011 4:44:42 PM PDT by mdittmar
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To: mdittmar
We salute the broad coalition in Denver, made up of 160 grassroots groups and business owners, who made visible the incredible need in their city for allowing workers to earn paid sick days.

Those "business owners" should give paid sick leave to their own employees, and get their noses out of their competitor's businesses.

But then again, that's probably why they are supporting this: they want to force up the labor costs of their competitors.

2 posted on 11/02/2011 4:52:12 PM PDT by justlurking (The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good WOMAN (Sgt. Kimberly Munley) with a gun)
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To: mdittmar

I run a skeleton staff and I require everyone to be to work to do their jobs. If Kentucky passed something like this, my only choice would be to lay someone off to cover the extra paid sick days. I can’t afford to pay people who are not at work outside of their regular benefits.

Things like this really kill the economy. I get 15 applications in a day for every minimum wage job I post.


3 posted on 11/02/2011 4:58:24 PM PDT by Dexter Morgan (Everyone hides who they are.)
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To: Dexter Morgan

I’m in the same boat. I do have 5 salaried employees in addition to 19 hourly. I do offer them all health benefits - at a tremendous expense. If I were required to add paid sick days for the 19 on an annual basis, one or two positions would need to be eliminated. I’m working on less than a 5% margin and don’t have room to absorb any more.


4 posted on 11/02/2011 5:01:37 PM PDT by RobertClark ("Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: Dexter Morgan
I can’t afford to pay people who are not at work

That's just mean spirited;)

5 posted on 11/02/2011 5:04:17 PM PDT by mdittmar (i)
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To: mdittmar

Paid sick days? I have a hard enough time getting the hours that I do get to work in.

Can those people be fired and the rest of us who are perfectly happy to get paid for working can take their jobs? Please?


6 posted on 11/02/2011 5:09:13 PM PDT by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman! 10 percent is enough for God; 9 percent is enough for government)
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To: mdittmar

Many years ago in grad school I did a literature review of absenteeism studies. One interesting thing I noted: of all the variables which affect employee absenteeism rates (age, race, sex, parental status, blue collar/white collar occupational status, etc.), the single variable with the greatest explanatory power with respect to different employee groups’ absenteeism rates often turned out to be: amount of paid sick leave available from the employer. Employees who did not get any paid sick leave were seldom sick; employees with generous sick leave allowances were sickly as hell.


7 posted on 11/02/2011 5:14:06 PM PDT by Spartan79 (I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health, and the liberties of man.)
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To: Spartan79

Well,I work at a NON-UNION company,We work hard,we’re doing well,and I get 7 weeks paid vacation a year.


8 posted on 11/02/2011 5:22:12 PM PDT by mdittmar (i)
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To: RobertClark; Dexter Morgan

I give you both a lot of credit for doing all you can to run your businesses and keep the employees you have. I can’t imagine the pressures you must be under these days and I wish you both much success and pray that better days are coming. Are either of you in Pa.? i’d be sure to frequent your establishments. :-)

I wish you well.


9 posted on 11/02/2011 5:25:20 PM PDT by SueRae (I can see November 2012 from my HOUSE!!!!!!!!)
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To: mdittmar

Well, the voters had their say.

I thought demorats liked democracy?


10 posted on 11/02/2011 5:25:30 PM PDT by dforest
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To: justlurking

Why stop there?
Why not a $50/hour minimum wage.
Everybody will be “wealthy” right?


11 posted on 11/02/2011 5:28:10 PM PDT by nascarnation (DEFEAT BARAQ 2012 DEPORT BARAQ 2013)
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To: RobertClark

“I’m in the same boat. I do have 5 salaried employees in addition to 19 hourly. I do offer them all health benefits - at a tremendous expense.”

God bless you and yours.


12 posted on 11/02/2011 6:04:21 PM PDT by dljordan ("Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered.")
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13 posted on 11/02/2011 6:33:34 PM PDT by RedMDer (Forward With Confidence!)
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To: mdittmar
How much paid sick leave does your company provide. If it is a private employer, I suspect the number will be five or fewer per year. Public agencies often provide ten-fifteen days, and consequently often suffer average absenteeism rates which would result in termination of private employees.
14 posted on 11/02/2011 6:39:23 PM PDT by Spartan79 (I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health, and the liberties of man.)
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To: mdittmar

As long as people believe it’s okay to force more costs onto business owners, don’t expect our economy to recover anytime soon.


15 posted on 11/02/2011 7:08:48 PM PDT by RWB Patriot ("My ability is a value that must be purchased and I don't recognize anyone's need as a claim on me.")
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To: Spartan79
Employees who did not get any paid sick leave were seldom sick; employees with generous sick leave allowances were sickly as hell.

No crap.

Sick days are a crock - discriminates against the healthy and reliable. If you want to provide paid time off, provide it to everyone whether they're out sick or just taking a day to enjoy the sunshine.

16 posted on 11/02/2011 7:11:53 PM PDT by Crichton
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To: Spartan79
How much paid sick leave does your company provide. If it is a private employer, I suspect the number will be five or fewer per year.

As far as I know, most 21st century white collar businesses do not offer sick leave. They treat employees somewhat like adults.

Public agencies often provide ten-fifteen days, and consequently often suffer average absenteeism rates which would result in termination of private employees.

If a private business provided 10-15 "sick days", any decent manager would wink and nod and let their people take those days when they're healthy. Don't blame public employees for working around their employer's backward policies.

17 posted on 11/02/2011 7:18:43 PM PDT by Crichton
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18 posted on 11/02/2011 7:37:51 PM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
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To: Crichton

In N.Y. many public sector jobs provide 15 or more sick days a year and allow the unused sick days to accumulate to as high as 200 days for which the employee is paid for when he retires. Some jobs also allow their employees to use these accumulated sick days for so called emergencies under the family leave act. Some have taken weeks off with full pay for the birth of a child.


19 posted on 11/02/2011 8:05:30 PM PDT by Wiggins
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To: Crichton

In N.Y. many public sector jobs provide 15 or more sick days a year and allow the unused sick days to accumulate to as high as 200 days for which the employee is paid for when he retires. Some jobs also allow their employees to use these accumulated sick days for so called emergencies under the family leave act. Some have taken weeks off with full pay for the birth of a child.


20 posted on 11/02/2011 8:05:45 PM PDT by Wiggins
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