By Michael Hill
Correspondent
Tony Sandkamp began offering paid sick days when Jersey City’s ordinance took effect January of 2014. The law mandates employers with 10 or more workers must offer five paid sick days. Sandkamp has four workers.
“First of all I don’t want my employees to have to chose between paying their bills and coming to work sick. So, if I can make that small move to help them, I find that they want to help me,” Sandkamp said.
A Rutgers Eagleton study of 289 Jersey City businesses found four out of five offer paid sick days and most report no change in the use of sick days and no evidence abuse and no real hardships for employers.
“It affirms what we’ve known about paid sick days — that it’s good for business, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for workers and it’s clearly good for the public health,” said New Jersey Citizen Action Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye.
At a rally at the Capitol to get Trenton’s paid sick law started right now, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association — which has sued to block Trenton’s paid sick leave law — took issue with the study and how it was conducted.
“The survey isn’t being clear about how many new people came into the program. Another statistic that is important is when we talk about the fact that over 50 percent of employees surveyed weren’t aware that the ordinance was in effect and yet they are saying that they feel they have more satisfaction in the workplace because of the ordinance,” said NJBIA President Michele Siekerka.
Nine New Jersey cities recently enacted laws for paid sick days — laws that also mandate employers with fewer than 10 workers must offer sick days without pay.
Jersey City says the law has been a huge success for businesses and workers.
An Assembly bill won Labor Committee approval for statewide earned sick days. But, state Sen. Steve Oroho has introduced a bill to abolish those city-by-city laws. He says “It should be up to each company to decide a compensation package for vacation days, sick days and stock options. The best companies recognize their employees get sick. To be successful you’ve got to treat your employees right.”
“New Jersey is leading the country right now in the way of paid sick days, laws that are being passed,” said Salowe-Kaye.
While some argue let the market decide and government hands off, Sandkamp says it seems a little naive.
“Government’s always been involved in businesses. Government tells you what the minimum wage is. Government tells you how old a person can be before you can hire him,” Sandkamp said.
There’s a big movement to mandate paid sick days beyond New Jersey and there’s a big movement to quash it.