SBACC Opposes Mandatory Sick Leave

The South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce (SBACC) has opposed several proposals that have mandated paid sick leave on employers over the years. The SBACC finds itself, once again, opposing a proposal that impacts all businesses and local government agencies. AB 1000 is proposed law that would mandate that businesses would have to provide paid sick leave and would also unreasonably expand employers and local government agencies’ costs and liability by mandating a specific paid sick leave policy.

AB 1000 would require businesses to provide paid sick leave to an employee after seven days of work in a calendar year. The proposed law would define sick leave not only for the employee’s own illness, but to care for a sick child, spouse, domestic partner or other relative. The SBACC is not opposed to flexibility for employees to take care of themselves or loved ones. However, the SBACC feels that unrealistic mandates such as automatic sick leave in the end reduces other benefits the employer may already offer to their employees.

Furthermore, the employee is also not obligated to show proof to the employer for the required sick day. This automatic sick leave would apply to all types of employees; interns, seasonal, part-time, temporary employees and provisional hires. Finally, this mandate would impact all employers, large and small, regardless of the current level of sick leave the employer may already provide.

Currently, AB 1000 is slated as a two-year bill and will most likely be heard again next year.

May 1, 2007

South Bay Businesses Stand Strong on Health Care Reform

The skyrocketing cost of health care has made it increasingly difficult for employers, especially small employers, to afford to offer health care benefits to employees and their dependents.  Employers and policymakers are desperately seeking ways to reduce healthcare costs and assure that all Americans have access to affordable and quality healthcare. 

It is estimated that one out of every five residents are without health insurance, over 6.5 million Californians.  This is the most in any state and 75 percent of these uninsured are members of working families according to a study conduct by UCLA.  A recent New America Foundation white paper estimates the average family pays about $1,186 a year in health insurance premiums to cover the uninsured.

Position

The SBACC reserves its right to establish its position on proposed health care reforms during or after the legislature has time to review and debate their proposals.

Currently, the SBACC SUPPORTS the following, but is not limited to:

- Policies that encourage continued medical discoveries and innovations that improve quality of care;

- Actions that preserve the current voluntary employer-provided health coverage system;

- Efforts to contain the costs of premiums;

- Conformity to federal law on health savings accounts;

- Legislation to allow employers to offer more affordable benefit plans that allow choices in coverage;

- Opportunities to gain efficiencies and optimal outcomes by coordinating the fragmented health care delivery systems;

- Work to curb the expansion of litigation in the health care system;

- Reforms to the worker compensation system that deliver significant cost savings;

- Efforts to make health prevention the foundation for reform through greater government responsibility for primary prevention efforts.

Furthermore, the SBACC OPPOSES the following, but is not limited to:

- Policies that allow cost shifting from government-provided programs to the private sector;

- Proposals that stifle research and development, enact price controls, encourage counterfeit drugs and interfere in the ability of employers and health providers to negotiate for lower drug costs;

- Proposals to establish a government-run health care delivery system in California; and,

- Employer mandates.