Jobs For Connecticut Now

This afternoon, Jobs for New England Now sent an open letter to CT State Legislators asking them to oppose H.B. 6187, the Paid Sick Leave bill. The bill, which mandates that companies with 50 or more employees provide paid sick leave at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked, would harm the very workers it is intended to help and add more fragility to the employment situation in Connecticut. 

Jobs for New England Now believes that paid sick leave, like health care, is a benefit most employers want their employees to have. The details of how the paid sick leave benefit is offered, however, must be left to individual companies and their employees to decide. Sick leave policy must reflect the economic realities of individual companies and the priorities of their people. And this is impossible if government imposes a one-size-fits-all policy.

This bill would be particularly dangerous for small businesses, as the added financial burden of mandatory paid sick leave for employees could prevent new hiring or even retaining current employees.  Even in robust economic times, this bill would be an unwarranted intrusion. In the current economy, it would be a serious setback to job creation in our state.