New York City Council Passes Bill Forcing Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave
The New American - May 9th, 2013 - On Wednesday the New York City Council...
The New American - May 9th, 2013 - On Wednesday the New York City Council voted 45-3 to pass the New York City Earned Sick Time Act, a bill that will require employers with more than 20 employees to provide five paid sick days to each of them every year while mandating that those employees using their sick days can’t be fired. The law would become effective on January 1, 2014, and companies with more than 15 employees would be required to comply with the law starting in 2015.
Even if Mayor Bloomberg vetoes the bill, the council will likely override it, making the law effective anyway. This will impact the employers of more than one million employees who currently have no paid sick days provided for them. The costs to be borne by those employers weren't provided in any public announcements.
The AFL/CIO explained why such legislation was needed:
In addition to the potential loss of wages for working families, the lack of paid sick days forces many people to go to work when they are contagious and [make] co-workers and customers sick.
No paid sick time also decreases [the] productivity for workers who show up unable to perform to their normal level of ability.
The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) was joyous over the vote, calling it “a historic agreement to give over one million New Yorkers the right to take paid days off from work to care for themselves or a sick family member. The new legislation represents a major step forward for workers’ rights.” The CPD was joined by Make the Road New York; 32 BJ SEIU, the largest property service workers union; NYC City Council’s Progressive Caucus; the Working Families Party; A Better Balance; and the NY Paid Sick Leave Coalition.
Bill Lipton of the Working Families Party was equally ecstatic: "This is a sweet victory. It provides economic security for New Yorkers, and a shot in the arm for the paid sick days movement across the country."
The bill was first introduced by council member Gale Brewer, a permanent politician and long-time progressive political activist, back in July 2009 but went nowhere for nearly four years, owing to resistance by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Quinn’s change to allow a vote coincided nicely with her announcement in March to run to succeed Mayor Bloomberg.
Brewer exulted in the victory:
After 4 years of non-stop advocacy and coalition building, I want to thank the Paid Sick Days Coalition members and my Council colleagues with all my heart for support [of my bill] and never giving up.
I also extend my thanks to Speaker Quinn and her staff for their contributions to this legislation….
The argument over [paid sick leave] was always about common sense and fairness. I believe this law enshrines the principle that American exceptionalism is not just about large profits and small elites, but a workplace that is safe, fair and respectful of the lives of workers.
Approximately one million New Yorkers will now have the fundamental right to a paid day off when they or a family member falls ill, and no worker will be fired if they must stay home. This is a tremendous accomplishment of which all fair-minded New Yorkers can be proud.
Four major cities have already passed paid sick leave laws — Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. — while similar measures are being considered in 20 others. On the national level, two other progressives, Sen. Tom Harken (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-Conn.), are pushing the Healthy Families Act, which proposes essentially the same thing as Brewer’s bill: seven paid sick days each year required to be paid for by employers with more than 15 employees. The National Partnership for Women & Families outlined the benefits of such national legislation:
• Paid sick days provide families with economic security;
• Providing paid sick days is cost effective to employers;
• Paid sick days reduce community contagion;
• Paid sick days can decrease health care costs.
Each of these assumptions can be rebutted successfully, but none does it better than Ayn Rand, who always asked “At whose expense?” and Henry Hazlitt in his book Economics in One Lesson, which also asked about the unseen consequences of such meddling. The "broken window fallacy" is also helpful in understanding what progressives refuse to see: Someone must pay for such mandates, usually someone silent or impotent, without enough political influence to stop such “progress” — usually the taxpayers or employers unlucky enough to have a successful business large enough to be included in the mandate.
Some of the unseen consequences would naturally include higher employment costs to the business owners, as these are, in effect, pay raises to employees. The business owners' higher costs would be reflected in higher prices to consumers, which would likely reduce competitive advantage in a market niche. More likely, however, owners will discover that they can’t afford all the people working for them and will be forced to reduce their payrolls through terminations or attrition. That will increase social costs, as those no longer working will start receiving unemployment benefits provided by the state.
In the longer run, however, making employers less competitive will shrink rather than expand the general economy. Some will not hire new workers. Others may decide to retire, deciding that it’s no longer worth the effort, as government becomes more and more intrusive. Still others may choose to move out of the city, or the state, to more tax-friendly environments, further reducing the city’s economic output.
The biggest cost of all, however, is the continued and growing acceptance of government intervention as a way to solve perceived social “problems” and giving progressives more opportunities to expand the power and reach of government
Perhaps the best rebuttal is to review the bill of rights of another country, well-known to historians, which also had a progressive agenda very similar to that of Quinn, Brewer, and the AFL/CIO. It stated:
Citizens … have the right to work, that is, are guaranteed the right to employment and payment for their work in accordance with its quantity and quality….
Citizens … have the right to rest and leisure … the reduction of the working day to seven hours … [and] the institution of annual vacations with full pay….
Citizens … have the right to maintenance in old age and also in case of sickness or loss of capacity to work … ensured by the extensive development of social insurance for workers and employees. [Emphasis added.]
These are, of course, the rights enshrined in the 1936 Constitution of the USSR.
A graduate of Cornell University and a former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at www.LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at badelmann@thenewamerican.com.
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This Week In Sports Law: Ezekiel Elliott News, Phil Ivey U.K. Loss, Pop Warner Case Goes On
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will suit up and play against the Washington Redskins, as the ongoing drama...
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will suit up and play against the Washington Redskins, as the ongoing drama in the courtroom over the NFL's tabled six game suspension continues. On Monday, the U.S. district court judge in New York denied the NFL's attempt to hurry up the scheduling on a hearing that will provide more clarity as to whether Elliott will actually be held out of any games this season while the case goes on.
Read the full article here.
LA Joins NYC, Chicago in Push to Naturalize Permanent Residents
89.3 KPCC - September 17, 2014, by Josie Huang - Mayor Eric Garcetti has joined a new campaign that encourages the...
89.3 KPCC - September 17, 2014, by Josie Huang - Mayor Eric Garcetti has joined a new campaign that encourages the estimated 390,000 legal permanent residents in Los Angeles to become citizens for their own benefit — and the city's.
The “Cities for Citizenship" project, funded by $1.1 billion from corporate partner Citigroup, is also kicking off in New York and Chicago.
In Los Angeles, a quarter-million dollar allocation will go toward introducing financial literacy to citizenship classes at city libraries, said Linda Lopez, chief of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. The cost of applying for citizenship — $680 — is prohibitive for many, and Lopez said new curriculum will teach students about saving for the naturalization process, as well as other aspects of their lives.
The new initiative will also help fund citizenship drives at community centers and outreach to employers in sectors with high concentrations of permanent residents, such as hospitality, health care and technology, Lopez said.
Lopez said the city is eager to boost civic engagement among its residents.
"Naturalization really offers the opportunity to participate in local and community affairs either through voting and different advocacy work," Lopez said. Cities also benefit financially when residents naturalize, said Andrew Friedman of the non-profit Center for Popular Democracy which has partnered with the cities.
He said studies have shown that citizens earn 8 to 11 percent more than permanent residents.
"Some of it has to do with more job opportunities, a higher degree of comfort on the part of employers," he said. "Folks are also able to access higher-paying industry jobs than they might as legal permanent residents though they have work authorization.
The center co-authored a report with the University of Southern California and The National Partnership for New Americans that found if half of those eligible sought citizenship, as much as $3 billion could flow to the L.A. economy over 10 years. Financial giant Citigroup said in a statement it wanted to help immigrant families see "direct economic benefits."
Citi's Global Director of Community Development Bob Annibale said: "Citi believes that citizenship is an asset that enables low-income immigrants to gain financial capability, and building a national identity must go hand-in-hand with building a financial identity."
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Election 2016: Measure E — Opportunity to Work
Hiring workers might get a little more complicated for San Jose businesses come 2017. Measure E is a South Bay Labor...
Hiring workers might get a little more complicated for San Jose businesses come 2017.
Measure E is a South Bay Labor Council-backed San Jose initiative aimed at giving part-time workers access to more hours.
If passed, businesses with more than 35 employees would have to offer additional hours to existing part-time workers before hiring new employees, including temps. Part-time workers would have the option to decline the hours, and employers would not be required to offer hours that result in overtime.
The City of San Jose would enforce and set guidelines for the regulation, and grant hardship exemptions for some businesses.
If approved, the law would take effect 90 days after the vote is certified.
Measure E is opposed by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, San Jose Downtown Association and California Restaurant Association.
Opponents argue the measure will lead to a decrease in part-time jobs, burden employers with another layer of bureaucracy and hurt businesses and nonprofits (who are not exempt) that rely on seasonal and part-time labor.
Derecka Mehrens of Working Partnerships USA, a labor-aligned think tank, said the measure is necessary to address a “crisis of underemployment” in Silicon Valley. The initiative, she said, will also help people working multiple jobs, with the accompanying lack of benefits, to be able to work only one job.
Passage requires a majority vote. An October phone poll of 300 likely voters commissioned by supporters of Measure E found 62 percent supported the measure, 30 percent opposed and 8 percent undecided. The chamber declined to share its polling.
Supporters of the measure have a huge advantage in terms of money raised. As of Sept. 24, the Yes on E campaign had raised $481,700, more than eight times the $59,200 raised by the opposition San Joseans for Jobs campaign.
Chamber President and CEO Matt Mahood took a shot at the large amount of money the Yes on E campaign has raised from outside groups, which includes $250,000 from the Brooklyn-based Center for Popular Democracy.
Mehrens responded by saying that Working Partnerships is a member of CPD, and that the measure is part of a national campaign. In September, Seattle passed a “secure scheduling” law that included a provision requiring food and retail businesses with more than 500 employers to offer additional hours to part-time workers before hiring new employees.
By Bryce Druzin
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Toys "R" Us Workers Meet with Senator Bernie Sanders and March Against Private Equity as the Legacy of Geoffrey is Further Tarnished...
Toys "R" Us Workers Meet with Senator Bernie Sanders and March Against Private Equity as the Legacy of Geoffrey is Further Tarnished...
Today, a group of Toys "R" Us employees met with Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington D.C., later marching alongside...
Today, a group of Toys "R" Us employees met with Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington D.C., later marching alongside representatives from The Center for Popular Democracy and Rise Up Retail as they took to the AIC in protest of private equity destruction at the hands of Bain Captial, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Vornado Realty Trust.
Read the full article here.
The Heartland Wants More New Americans
In 2016, over 970,000 people applied for U.S. citizenship—the highest point point in two decades. That was 24 percent...
In 2016, over 970,000 people applied for U.S. citizenship—the highest point point in two decades. That was 24 percent higher than 2015, and 9.2 percent more than 2012, when the last presidential election was held.
Read the full article here.
SF Finalizes Settlement in Nevada ‘patient dumping’ Case
SF Finalizes Settlement in Nevada ‘patient dumping’ Case
A $400,000 “patient dumping” ...
A $400,000 “patient dumping” settlement with Nevada approved Tuesday by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors also requires that state to regularly report to The City for the next five years regarding any patients sent to California.
The settlement establishes criteria for sending those patients to California in the first place.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera had sued Nevada two years ago over the state’s improperly discharging psychiatric patients and sending them on Greyhound buses to San Francisco with little means and nowhere to stay, a practice first exposed by the Sacramento Bee.
The Nevada Board of Examiners, which reviews claims for payment, approved the settlement Oct. 13 and on Tuesday the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved it, making it official.
As part of the settlement agreement, made public Tuesday, Nevada agreed to only provide travel assistance for released patients based on certain criteria. That would include, for example, cases where the patient was a California resident at the time they were admitted for treatment in Nevada.
Other criteria includes cases where a clinic has agreed to accept the patient in the destination city in California or an acquaintance or family member has agreed to care for the patient.. The agreement also requires the discharged patient to have a travel chaperone, like a family member, who must be present when released in Nevada and accompany the patient on the trip to California.
“I’m pleased we reached an agreement that will assure the well-being of psychiatric patients when they’re transported, and that also offers a model for how jurisdictions can work together to better protect our patients and taxpayers,” Herrera said in a statement released shortly after the Board of Supervisors vote.
When the proposed settlement was reported by the San Francisco Examiner on Oct. 5, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement, “We look forward to working with California to ensure all patient transfers to and from both states are managed using these best practices and adhering to conditions detailed in the agreement.”
The settlement agreement requires Nevada to provide San Francisco with a semi-annual report regarding any patients Nevada’s state mental health system sends to to California between January 1 and December 2019. The report must include patient information like date of discharge and eligibility for travel under the agreement.
Since April 2008, San Francisco identified 24 patients bused from the state-run Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas to San Francisco, with 20 in need of medical care “some within mere hours of getting off the bus,” said the lawsuit. Over the past five years, Nevada sent a total of 500 patients by Greyhound bus to cities and counties in California,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit sought $500,000 in expenses for the medical care of the patients.
Also on Tuesday, San Francisco increased gun control regulations, which has prompted the closure of the last remaining gun store.
Supervisor Mark Farrell, who introduced the legislation, offered no apologies for the pending closure of High Bridge Arms at 3185 Mission St., which plans to shutdown on Oct. 31.
“I believe all of us in San Francisco will be better off,” Farrell said of the anticipated gun shop closure. The store was opened by Bob Chow, a Chinese American who competed in the US Olympics, in 1952, operating primarily as a gunsmith. In 1987, it was sold to Andy Takahashi, who before coming to San Francisco via Alaska lived in Japan.
The legislation requires the video recording of all firearms sales, which would be available to the police with a search warrant. The legislation would also require at least weekly reporting the Police Department of store bought ammo. The law was supported by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
“Even though our city and our state have some of the toughest gun control laws on the books there still remains more that we can do to protect public safety,” Farrell said.
The legislation was approved in a 9-0 vote. Supervisors Eric Mar and John Avalos were absent from the meeting. Both were attending the Local Progress convention in Los Angeles.
Source: San Francisco Examiner
‘May You Die in Pain,’ Voter Tells GOP Lawmaker
An angry voter had harsh words for Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., at a town hall meeting on Monday: "May you die in pain...
An angry voter had harsh words for Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., at a town hall meeting on Monday: "May you die in pain," the voter said, scolding the California Republican for his support of a House GOP plan to repeal Obamacare.
The biting remark from the elderly constituent, who was holding a sign that read "Lackey for the Rich!" was one of several intense moments from a passionate group of about 400 residents during the gathering in Chico, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Read the full article here.
Diverse, Radical and Ready to Resist: Meet the First in the New Wave of Local Progressive Officials
Diverse, Radical and Ready to Resist: Meet the First in the New Wave of Local Progressive Officials
At Local Progress’s 150-person meet-up, left-leaning politicians from around the country share plans to build rebel...
At Local Progress’s 150-person meet-up, left-leaning politicians from around the country share plans to build rebel cities.
Read the full article here.
Blowback for SEC from whistleblower
BLOWBACK FOR SEC FROM WHISTLEBLOWER: A whistleblower is calling foul on the SEC. Our Patrick Temple-West writes: “A...
BLOWBACK FOR SEC FROM WHISTLEBLOWER: A whistleblower is calling foul on the SEC. Our Patrick Temple-West writes: “A whistleblower who said he is due an $8.25 million reward from the Securities and Exchange Commission said he is refusing the cash because of concerns that the agency failed to prosecute top executives at Deutsche Bank. … Ben-Artzi said he was fired after raising concerns with the way Deutsche was valuing its derivatives. In its settlement with Deutsche, the SEC alleged the company overvalued its derivatives holdings during the worst days of the 2008 financial crisis. … ‘Although I need the money now more than ever, I will not join the looting of the very people I was hired to protect,’” Ben-Artzi wrote in The Financial Times. A Deutsche Bank spokesman declined to comment.
Andrew Ceresney, the SEC's current enforcement director: “We brought all of the charges supported by the evidence and the law, which were unanimously approved by the Commission.”
TGIF! — Happy Friday. You’ve almost made it through the week without the incomparable Morning Money Ben. The Pro Financial Services team will be filling in again for him next week, so please send tips to Financial Services editor Mark McQuillan: mmcquillan@politico.com. Follow me on Twitter @vtg2.
THIS MORNING ON POLITICO PRO FINANCIAL SERVICES – Patrick Temple-West on CFTC charges of swaps-reporting violations against Deutsche Bank -- and to get Morning Money every day before 6 a.m. -- please contact Pro Services at (703) 341-4600 or info@politicopro.com.
FED UP GOING TO JACKSON — The Fed Up coalition will hold a series of events in Jackson, Wyo., next week, including an on-the-record meeting with Kansas City Fed President Esther George on Aug. 25, the coalition announced. Other Fed presidents and governors will also be attending the discussion. The docket includes a press conference and a demonstration, where members of the coalition (a marriage between unions and other community organizations) will “share their personal experiences seeking good-paying jobs in this economy and discuss the importance of diversity in Fed leadership for promoting high-quality governance and public policy.”
Don’t miss: Fed Up will also unveil a report outlining one of its central ideas: how to make the Fed a fully public institution. Its authors are Andrew Levin of Dartmouth and Valerie Wilson of the Economic Policy Institute.
Speaking of the Fed conference, three Democratic lawmakers on Thursday wrote to Fed Chair Janet Yellen, thanking her for the central bank’s focus on inequality and the impact of the economic recovery on neglected communities. “We are concerned, however, that some of your work may be undercut by the failure of all Federal Reserve entities to follow your lead,” they wrote, expressing worries that workers of color might have a harder time being heard at the Jackson Hole conference. Read the letter from Reps. John Conyers, Frederica Wilson and Marcy Kaptur here.
AIR FORCE ONE SCHEDULED FOR ASIA PIVOT — President Barack Obama is heading off to China early next month where he will participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the White House announced Thursday. Obama will discuss the full gamut of international economic issues and hold “in-depth,” one-on-one meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hangzhou.
MM prediction: Foreign exchange rate policies, the U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty, cyber issues and treatment of U.S. businesses abroad are just some of the hot financial topics that might be broached in those bilateral meetings.
The stop in China will be followed by a trip to Laos for the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit. The full trip, which comes amid efforts by the president to push the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal despite political headwinds from both sides of the aisle, will run from Sept. 2-9.
TRUMP A MERCER-NARY — From WSJ's Rebecca Ballhaus: "Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s latest staff shakeup reflects the growing behind-the-scenes influence of a wealthy backer relatively new in the nominee’s orbit: billionaire hedge-fund manager Robert Mercer. … He and his daughter, Rebekah, had recommended both Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon and Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway, who already worked for the campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. The Mercers met privately with Mr. Trump at a fundraiser last weekend at the East Hampton, N.Y., home of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, according to a person at the event. … Top Trump donors said the staff reshuffling showed the Mercers’ widening role in the campaign." The article is here.
END OF AN ERA — Citigroup will have no more dedicated proprietary traders once Anna Raytcheva leaves at the end of this month, the WSJ reports. Raytcheva and the rest of her kind have been rendered increasingly obsolete at Citi and other large banks because of the Volcker rule, which banned most types of trades made by banks on their own behalf. She will be opening her own hedge fund next year, the veteran trader told WSJ.
WSJ’s Christina Rexrode writes: “The firm’s trading roots go back to Salomon Brothers, whose 1980s trading exploits were featured in the book ‘Liar’s Poker.’ That firm was ultimately folded into Citigroup, whose billions of dollars in trading losses during the financial crisis prompted repeated taxpayer-led bailouts. … Citigroup and other large banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley had multiple desks dedicated to the lucrative but risky practice before the financial crisis. But … to comply with the [Volcker] rule, Citigroup sold or spun off businesses, including an emerging-markets hedge fund and a private-equity unit. It also closed down Citi Principal Strategies, its dedicated proprietary trading desk, in January 2012.” Check out the story here.
FANNIE AND FREDDIE ALL DRESSED UP WITH NOWHERE TO GO — Per Bloomberg’s Joe Light: “Earth-movers are laying the foundations of a shiny new headquarters for Fannie Mae, the bailed-out giant of American mortgages. But the sleek design, replete with glass sky bridges, belies a sober reality: Fannie Mae and its cousin, Freddie Mac, are once again headed for trouble. … On Jan. 1, 2018, the two government-sponsored enterprises will officially run out of capital under the current terms of their bailout. After that, any losses would be shouldered by taxpayers. Granted, few people are predicting a disaster like the one in 2008, when the GSEs had to be thrown a $187.5 billion federal lifeline. But eight years later, people still don’t agree on what to do with these wards of the state.” Click here to read more.
ITALIAN BANKERS FACING SCRUTINY — Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is in the news once again, this time because its CEO Fabrizio Viola and former Chairman Alessandro Profumo are being investigated for alleged false accounting and market manipulation, Reuters reports. The investigation comes just a couple of weeks after MPS announced that, with the help of JPMorgan Chase and Mediobanca, it will repackage 27-billion-Euros-worth of bad debt into securities worth a total net amount of 9.2 billion Euros.
From Reuters’ Silvia Ognibene: “The investigation, which started in 2015 following complaints filed by small shareholders and consumer associations, comes as the Tuscan bank prepares to launch a 5 billion Euro ($6 billion) stock sale after emerging as the weakest bank in Europe in industry stress tests in July. A spokesman for Monte dei Paschi said the decision to investigate Viola and Profumo followed a proposal by two shareholders to seek damages from the two executives which was rejected by other shareholders at an April meeting. … Being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not automatically lead to charges being laid.” More here.
A CLOSER LOOK AT LENDING CLUB — Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin on shady loans facilitated by Lending Club: “[Bryan] Sims decided to take a look at the hundreds of loans he’d invested in, arranging them in a spreadsheet … Two loans caught his eye. Both had been issued to individuals with the same employer in the same small town. So far, so coincidental. But looking deeper, Sims found that the salaries were nearly identical. Both borrowers had opened their first line of credit in the same month. This, Sims realized, is the same dude. It wasn’t a borrower who’d paid off one loan and happily returned for a second. It was one person with two active loans, and Lending Club was treating them as completely unrelated, charging wildly different interest rates. The borrower was paying about 15 percent interest on one loan of about $15,000; on the other, he was paying 9 percent on twice the principal. That meant the investors who held only the second loan were leaving money on the table. And Lending Club didn’t seem to be doing anything to help them.” Read the rest here.
‘LIKE’ IT OR NOT, FED’S ON FACEBOOK — Rounding out its social media presence, the Fed Board of Governors launched a Facebook page on Thursday. The central bank is already on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and — who knew — Flickr. Find its page here.
By VICTORIA GUIDA
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