2014 MA Ballot Questions: Question 4 - Sick Time for all Employees

Last question to go through... and this one's pretty simple for anybody believing in workers' rights.  A yes vote makes it so that any employee will earn 5 sick days per year (1 hour per 30 hours worked; would be available for use after the 90th day after hire).  These sick days would be paid if the employer has more than 10 employees and unpaid if the employer has fewer employees.  The sick days are to be used

1. to care for a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition affecting the employee or employee's child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse
2. to attend routine medical appointments of the employee or the employee's child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse
3. to address the effects of domestic violence on the employee or the employee's dependent child

So... who would argue against this?  Chambers of commerce... aka business.  Business tends to be against workers' rights because it costs more.  I get that, but sick time should be a basic right.  I don't know how else to say it.  Business claims that this will cost money and therefore cause lower wages and kill jobs.  O.k., so, that being the case, maybe we should do away with the minimum wage so that we can have more jobs?  They also suggest that it takes away flexibility for employees and employers to negotiate compensation.  So may be after doing away with all workers' rights since they all protect the employee from the employer negotiating away those rights.  

Enough already.  Minimum wage, 40 hour work week, lunch breaks, the right not to be sexually harassed on the job, protections for whistle blowers, regulations about safety in the workplace... all of these things limit what business can do and they are all accepted as basic rights for workers and they were all brought to use by Unions fighting against chambers of commerce.  Let's bring sick days to all employees in this Commonwealth.

Vote yes on question 4.