OLYMPIA — Democrats in the state Legislature say they have their best chance in years to give Washington employees up to five weeks of paid family medical leave — and a guarantee that they would still have a job when they return.
The proposed benefit, which would be one of the most generous in the country, has roiled the state’s business groups, who say it would drive up costs and weaken Washington’s recovering economy.
But supporters say the bills would help thousands of workers who are forced to choose between losing their job or staying home to take care of a newborn baby or ailing parent.
“People who are making beds at the hotels, serving dinner … are living on the edge,” said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines and the bill’s prime sponsor in the state Senate. “They have no sick leave, they have no vacation leave.”
You know I was talking about issues that actually help the working poor? Here you go.
Opponents argued that most employers already go out of their way to help good employees, and that a government-mandated leave program could be abused.
“The only people this bill would benefit are people who are not good employees,” said Dan Fazio, assistant director of government relations for the Farm Bureau.
This sounds like a poor idea to me. We already have the FMLA to gaurantee leave to workers, the only difference is that this law makes it paid leave. Why should a single unlucky company have to assume the considerable liability of paying someone for 5 weeks when they don’t work? I don’t like forcing companies to assume welfare duties like this. If we a society need a financial safety net for people in these circumstances then it should come from public funds and the cost should be shared fairly.
Sure. Based on that logic, we shouldn’t guarantee their original jobs for National Guardsmen when they return to the companies they worked for before the war.
Sure. Based on that logic, we shouldn’t guarantee their original jobs for National Guardsmen when they return to the companies they worked for before the war.[/quote]
I don’t think Guard service is paid leave.
It’s a step in the right direction, seems a bit low though…
“We think this is not the direction to go in this economy right now,” said Carolyn Logue, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.
“Right now?” Yeah, I’m sure she’d be all for it if the times were better :roll:
Well my original post had very little logic in it as it was more of an anti-Jason troll.
But to your point, I thinkt there’s a huge difference between guaranteeing jobs for service members and guaranteeing jobs to people that need medical or family leave. First, it’s far too easy for unscrupulous people to abuse family or medical leave policies to the detriment of small businesses. It’s much more difficult for somebody to abuse a military service leave policy. Second, although difficult family situations and medical problems are always sad and often tragic, I simply don’t agree that creating more and more leave benefits are the answer.
I don’t want the government to solve these problems for me and I don’t want my taxes to pay to solve these problems for somebody else.
Well my original post had very little logic in it as it was more of an anti-Jason troll.
But to your point, I thinkt there’s a huge difference between guaranteeing jobs for service members and guaranteeing jobs to people that need medical or family leave. First, it’s far too easy for unscrupulous people to abuse family or medical leave policies to the detriment of small businesses. It’s much more difficult for somebody to abuse a military service leave policy. Second, although difficult family situations and medical problems are always sad and often tragic, I simply don’t agree that creating more and more leave benefits are the answer.
I don’t want the government to solve these problems for me and I don’t want my taxes to pay to solve these problems for somebody else.[/quote]
That’s a great alternative suggestion, why don’t you write your state legislators and suggest it? “Dear Senator, I like the idea of the five week paid family leave bill, but after discussing it, I realize that it may be burdensome to expect companies to pay for it themselves. However, I’d be happy to have a portion of my tax dollars go to such a plan.”
The business lobbyists would probably be happier enough to accept it as a compromise, but then again the tax reform lobbyists might get upset then. Of course, if you don’t do anything, then the labor lobbyists aren’t going to be happy.
I have to imagine that it would be loophole city. Companies would have to plan for every employee getting 5 weeks off plus their normal vacation plus sick days.
Adding the provision that the salary is paid with tax dollars is a great way to kill it by the way.
I don’t understand how compairng Guard duty leave and paid leave is supposed to provide perspective.
How can I answer for somebody else how they should deal with a major life crisis?
We’re just not even on the same wavelength. You demand a canned solution from me right after I just told you that canned solutions are not the problem.
The only “solution” to this “problem” is that if you know somebody that has a medical problem or a life issue, then lend a hand and help them out.
Sometimes I think some people won’t be happy until a government nurse follows them around to wipe their butts and change their diapers and feed them their pureed squash at dinnertime.
I have to imagine that it would be loophole city. Companies would have to plan for every employee getting 5 weeks off plus their normal vacation plus sick days.
As opposed to the current plan of firing every employee within a couple of years of their start date to meet arbitrary revenue projections, or keep anyone from drawing to large a salary.
Well two wrongs don’t make a right and I don’t see how they relate.
I would imagine that an employer who fired employees to keep them from drawing too large a salary would get in trouble eventually or run out of employees. It may work for some industries though.
First, it’s far too easy for unscrupulous people to abuse family or medical leave policies to the detriment of small businesses.
Oh yes, the employers can do nothing about it when they’re making it up. In fact, they can’t tell at all. Give me a break, this isn’t a problem; show even vague evidence that this is a statistical concern.
Sometimes I think some people won’t be happy until a government nurse follows them around to wipe their butts and change their diapers and feed them their pureed squash at dinnertime.
Sometimes I think capital and its boot-licking lackeys won’t be happy until we reinstitute slavery.
Umm, how do you expect him to show you statistics of what might happen if we implement a plan?
I imagine there are statistics in HR journals out there about people taking paid sick days which might be related enough to be meaningful in this context. I know my employer used to offer unlimited paid sick-days until a few people started taking 15 a year above and beyond their vacation time. Then my employer imposed a limit of 4 sick day/year and miraculously the 15 sick day/year people got much healthier and only needed 4 sick days/year thereafter
I guess I look at it this way. If there were no abuse concerns, how come the vast majority of employers limit the amount of paid sick time a person gets?
Why the FUCK are Republicans so concerned about the edge cases where people abuse the system? OH NO, SOMEWHERE A JAGOFF IS GETTING A BONUS HE/SHE DIDN’T DESERVE?
Where’s the moral outrage against corrupt accounting practices, crooked CEOs and tax shelters, which drain your precious coffers more than some poor shlub who wants a little extra time off?
Oh, that’s right, the latter folks are THE FILTHY, LAZY POOR. Do half of you moral crusaders even have friends that work minimum wage or low-level jobs, and understand just how much abuse goes on there – how shackled they are to the whims of the businesses they work for?
