Paid Sick Leave

Paid Sick Leave

General PSL Messages

·  Every new mandate on business comes at a cost. If businesses are required to provide things like paid leave, something else has to give – whether that is cuts in jobs, cuts in wages, or cuts in other benefits.

·  The economy remains very unstable and small business owners continue to be nervous about the economic outlook in the foreseeable future. Adding a costly mandate like this to their already heavy regulatory burden will have a chilling effect on their ability to maintain their businesses and the jobs they provide.

·  When it comes to managing time off and other work place issues, employers working in cooperation with their employees is a much better approach than a one-size fits all government mandate.

·  Businesses are already struggling to comply with many confusing and complex state and local regulations; now is not the time to add an additional burden like mandatory paid leave.

·  When it comes to managing time off and other work place issues, employers working in cooperation with their employees is a much better approach than a one-size fits all government mandate. This allows for greater customization to meet individual employee needs. Restaurants that care about their employees may find themselves having to adjust their workforce structure to accommodate inflexible policies – and the employees themselves may be the ones who are hurt.

·  Government data shows that mandatory paid leave policies have cost jobs. Since it was enacted in San Francisco in 2007 quick-service restaurants have cut jobs by 8%. These jobs help individuals gain critical experience for growth in business and entrepreneurship, provide part-time and flexible work hours for families and students and offer entry level employees skills training and benefits. These jobs have now moved to neighboring communities and states.

·  The restaurant industry is the second largest private sector job creator in the country, and the vast majority of restaurants are small businesses. A paid sick leave mandate will have an especially harsh impact on these small businesses because they do not have the resources to deal with the cost of complying.

·  The restaurant industry is highly labor intensive and a majority of restaurant employees are either part-time or seasonal. Many are students working a few shifts a week. Given our unique business model, it would be very difficult for employers to afford and administer a paid leave benefit to so many part-time workers.

·  One of the benefits of working in the restaurant industry is the ability to customize one’s work schedule/shifts week to week. This arrangement affords restaurant workers more flexibility in adjusting one’s schedule when leave is necessary.