In the words of President Ronald Reagan, there they go again. Two years after Texas courts struck down paid sick leave mandates, Democrats are trying to bring them back. This time, the effort is at the federal level, where Democrats in Congress are proposing mandatory paid sick leave in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue came to a head in Texas a few years ago, when liberal cities like Austin and Dallas tried to mandate paid sick leave, only to be challenged in court and ultimately lose.
The idea of bringing back paid sick leave mandates after two years of pandemic shutdowns and restrictions is a non-starter in the Texas business community. "(Businesses) are doing everything they can to protect health and safety, while also trying to keep their doors open and hire as many people as possible in the midst of a labor shortage," says Katie Greer, communications director for the Texas Association of Business. "They have a lot on their plate, as it is."
"A study by the (National Federation of Independent Business) found regulations cost small business owners about $12,000 per-employee, per-year," she continues. "So when you start bringing up things like paid sick leave, you are adding to that burden for small businesses."
Democrats claim mandating sick leave will help workers who may get COVID after coming back to work. But Greer argues employees and customers would ultimately bear the costs. "You're forcing business owners to ask some tough questions," she tells KTRH. "Am I going to cut staff, am I going to cut hours, am I going to cut pay, am I going to increase prices?"
"The timing couldn't be worse on this," continues Greer. “Many (businesses) are still in recovery from the pandemic. This is not the time to make it harder for our job creators.”