Paid Sick Leave Mandate in House

Lawmakers are still promoting a mandate that will require Connecticut employers of 50 or more employees to provide their hourly and non-exempt workers a minimum of 6.5 paid sick days per year. HB-6187 is now awaiting action in the state House.

It’s a costly, one-size-fits-all policy that simply ignores the many different types of workplaces and industries found in Connecticut; companies’ financial health and business demands; and in many cases, an employer’s current time-off policy.

Employers have repeatedly cautioned state lawmakers that if HB-6187 is enacted, there would be swift and significant consequences for employers and employees alike. The only way many employers would be able to accommodate this additional unbudgeted mandate would be to cut back on other employee benefits, wages, and in some cases jobs themselves.

Ironically, workers would bear the heaviest consequences of a proposal that is supposedly intended to help them.

Curiously, state lawmakers believed that the mandate was too costly for the state to afford—$1.2 million over two years—but they but turned a blind eye to the huge fiscal impact on affected municipalities and employers. The proposal also carries with it a huge administrative burden that will be very difficult for employers—especially smaller businesses—to manage.

If HB-6187 is passed, Connecticut would become the only state in the nation to mandate paid sick leave. Not only would that make new businesses less likely to locate, invest or expand here, it would also make Connecticut’s existing businesses less able to compete.

CBIA continues to urge lawmakers to reject HB-6187. For more information, contact CBIA’s Kia Murrell at 860-244-1931 or kia.murrell@cbia.com.