Small business owners in Morningside Heights are breathing a sigh of relief, now that a proposal requiring employers to give workers paid sick days is off the table.
The proposal—which would have mandated that employers provide their workers with five to nine paid sick days per year—had attracted a lot of attention, but City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spoke out against it earlier this month and temporarily shelved it.
“My store doesn’t provide paid sick days. We’re already stretched to the max,” said Rosalie Manning, owner of Card-o-Mat between 111th and 112th streets on Broadway. She explained that if the proposal were made into law, business owners like herself would have to pay both the person taking off and the worker taking his or her spot.
The economy would have to drastically improve for her business to handle the costs associated with the bill, she added.
“Small businesses just can’t afford to do it. As it is, everyone’s just barely treading water,” Manning said.
Despite strong opposition to paid sick days, City Council member Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, remains an adamant supporter.
“About 1 million New York City workers don’t have paid sick days. And the costs of this proposal are not as expensive as businesses say,” Brewer said.
Those objecting to the paid sick days proposal cite a study done on behalf of the Partnership for New York City, which puts the costs at 48 cents per hour for each employee, while supporters point to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which has said that costs would be 39 cents per employee per hour.
But the human aspect of this proposal needs to be considered as well, Brewer said, noting that an emergency room doctor once told her that a rape victim delayed coming into the hospital for two days because she was afraid to lose her job.
It is a serious public health concern, she said, not only for those forced to choose between pay or health, but also for those who have to share public spaces with sick workers.
“Parents bring sick children to school because they can’t take the day off to take care of them. The last thing you want in a restaurant or school is for someone else to be sick. Disease goes around like wildfire,” Brewer said.
And for some local store owners, offering paid sick days is simply part of business.
“It’s the cost of doing business,” said Beth Puffer, the director at Bank Street Bookstore on 112th street and Broadway. “Small businesses can’t afford to lose their employees. Do they want them to come to work sick?”
Still, for owners like Manning, there are simply financial limitations. “Would I prefer that they stayed home when sick? Of course. I think the bill is idealistic, and in a perfect world it’s absolutely what should be, but it’s impossible,” said Manning.
Though 35 out of 51 council members supported the proposal, Quinn’s decision was heavily influenced by the Partnership for New York City study, which said that the bill could cost businesses as much as $789 million a year. Citing the sluggish economy and high business costs, Quinn insisted that she could not support the proposal.
“Now is simply not the right time for a measure that threatens the survival of small-business owners,” Quinn said in a press conference.
Despite such opposition, Brewer said she plans to see the proposal become a reality someday.
“We’re definitely going to keep pushing it by getting more workers to understand it’s in their best interest,” Brewer said.
Some local merchants though have found their own solutions to the problem.
Chris Doeblin, owner of Book Culture, said that he gives nonunion employees an unlimited number of sick and personal days.
“We trust that no one’s going to abuse that,” he said. “It makes sense. You can’t have people working for six months, or a year, and never take a day off.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy