Republicans going after sick and family leave benefits. Another example for why we need to VOTE!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

Thirty-eight of the fifty state legislatures are not in the hands of the Republicans. We all know that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been drafting legislation for the GOP that attacks public workers and unions, implements draconian voter registration laws, attacks abortion/reproductive rights, and strict immigration laws.

Here's another reason why it is critically important that we all VOTE, not just in general elections, but also in midterms.

Republicans are drunk on power...

------------
<snip>

Corporate Front Group ALEC Pushing For Repeal Of Paid Sick Day Laws Nationwide

By Zaid Jilani posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Oct 19, 2011 at 2:50 pm

Recently, a string of cities and states have passed new ordinances that would require paid sick days for employees at certain employers. Just last week, Philadelphia’s city council passed a second version of a paid sick leave bill after the mayor vetoed the earlier one. Earlier this year, Seattle approved paid sick days legislation, while Connecticut became the first state with a state-wide requirement.

Now, the Center for Media and Democracy’s PR Watch has published an expose of how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — a corporate front group that farms out legislation to almost a third of state legislators nationwide — is drafting legislation on behalf of its wealthy conglomerate funders to repeal these ordinances.

PR Watch obtained documents from ALEC’s 2011 Annual Meeting showing that one of the group’s committees — the Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee of the Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force — focused its entire meeting on the issue of paid sick leave. Task force members, who are legislators, were given copies of a bill that enables state legislatures to override municipal paid sick days laws. The same bill was used in Wisconsin to override Milwaukee’s paid sick days requirement.

PR Watch notes that ALEC’s Labor and Business Regulation subcommittee is co-chaired by a company that owns many of the nation’s fast food companies, major opponents of paid sick leave:
Meeting attendees were given complete copies of Wisconsin’s 2011 Senate Bill 23 (now Wisconsin Act 16), as a model for state override. They were also handed a target list and map of state and local paid sick leave policies prepared by ALEC member, the National Restaurant Association.

In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association lobbied for SB 23 to repeal the sick leave ordinance, as did the the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), the local branch of the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an ALEC member). Not surprisingly, ALEC’s Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee is co-chaired by YUM! Brands, Inc., which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Fast food companies have fought paid sick leave across the country.

</snip>

[EC]

1. maybe if we all started lodging complaints at these

fast-food places that are complaining, about sick employees handing out food and how we'll never eat there again. Maybe the point will get through their thick skulls. The reason sick people should stay home is not to spread viral illnesses. And they should be paid sick days, since they don't pay enough for someone to voluntarily stay home.

[kestrel91316]

2. We also don't want sick employees spreading bacterial diseases,

like Salmonella and Campylobacter and Shigella.

Just my 2c worth.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. You ruining the "fun."

Party pooper!!!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. Agreed!! n/t

[CoffeeCat]

4. Let me tell you about a fast-food...

restaurant owner...my father.

He was against ANY kind of legislation that cost him one cent, and helped the
workers in ANY way.

He hated that there was a minimum wage. He detested the fact that he had to
pay sick leave.

We have a very liberal Senator, Tom Harkin. Harkin spearheaded the Americans
With Disabilities Act and was instrumental in this important legislation
becoming law. Harkin happened to be in the vicinity of my father's restaurants
and my father sought him out. My father told me that he had to give Harkin
a piece of his mind, for passing the ADA.

Because of the ADA, my father was forced to spend money to make the bathrooms
handicap accessible. This outraged my father. Why should HE have to spend
money because someone had a problem getting into the bathroom?

Yeah. That's what Republicans are like. Until you've lived with one of these
psychopaths--you have absolutely no idea how sick they are. They will fight
to the death, to tear down any legislation that costs them any money. They
don't care if it's unfair or callous. It's all about the bottom line for them.

Nothing else matters.

[salin]

6. Link?

looks like a good article to fully read.

[usregimechange]

9. +1

[NutmegYankee]

7. These guys fought hard against the Connecticut Law

The "this is anti-business" mantra went on for months, but We The People still won in the end.

[surrealAmerican]

8. This is important.

I don't usually recommend posts without a link, but ...


Sick leave and family leave should probably be nationally mandated - not left up to the states (or cities), but, given this congress, I'm not holding my breath.

[fascisthunter]

10. sociopaths attacking poor Americans

oh soon... oh how soon it will be when we watch these motherfuckers beg for forgiveness, before we throw their asses in jail. They are playing for keeps. Well then, we up the ante and take all their freedoms away by locking them up.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. Link here...

Sorry. I thought I had added it:

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/10/19/347793/alec-repeal-sick-days/