Paid sick leave mandate heard in the House

The House Economic Matters Committee this week heard legislation that would require employers with 10 or more employees to provide paid sick and safe leave. If the employer has nine or less employees, the employer is required to provide unpaid sick and safe leave.

Despite the legislation’s worthy objectives, the Maryland Chamber opposes the bill. We believe it is critical for state lawmakers to recognize the impact mandated benefits laws have on Maryland employers. One size does not fit all when it comes to workplace regulation. We must preserve the employer’s right to manage their workforces and create wage and benefit programs that balance economic stresses with employee needs.

In the present economy, as businesses are slowly making a recovery from the recession of the past few years, we cannot do anything to threaten this fragile growth. Employers are already facing increased health care costs and the Maryland General Assembly is considering raising Maryland’s minimum wage. Imposing additional new costs on businesses would no doubt imperil Maryland’s economic recovery. “Employers cannot keep raising the cost of their services or products to their clients,” said Wanda Smith, President and CEO of Symphony Placements.

In addition, the Maryland Chamber believes there are a number of technical problems with the legislation as currently drafted. To learn more, view our complete position statement. For more information, contact Deriece Pate Bennett at dpatebennett@mdchamber.org.

Legislative Issues Tag: Employment Issues