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Sick Days are good for Indiana

June 22, 2008 06:00 by ckincincy

This election cycle the State of Ohio will have the option to vote for a mandatory seven sick days for employee's of companies with more than 25 employees.

On February 20, 2008 I posted that this was a bad idea. The Tribute of Seymour, Indiana agree's. In fact they say that it is good for Indiana!

The paper states in reply to the following comment, "Workers should not have to choose between a paycheck and recovery time when they get sick.", the following quip:

"Measures like this one will ensure the paycheck won't even be an option for even more Ohioans and perhaps ensure that more companies like Honda and Nestle choose Indiana over Ohio as homes for their plants, much as they did with announcements last year."

Couldn't agree more. This is bad policy... we need to vote NO!

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Comments

June 23. 2008 09:27

I'm really surprised you're so against this... From reading your blog, I get the impression you're just a regular working guy like me - and with the economy as it is, aren't you worried about being too sick to go into work and losing a whole day's pay for it (and that could make the difference between paying the mortage or not at some point.)

I'm not saying we should adopt the European system of five weeks paid holiday a year - but the fact that 3 of the 5 richest countries in the world are in Europe and the European Union makes 20% GDP than the United States proves that it's not the handicap the Republican scare-mongers say it is.

If you ask me, the whole sick-day thing is ridiculous. How do you know how many days a year you'll be sick? If you're really sick, you get punished because you are only permitted to be sick seven days a week. If you're never sick, like you and I, than you lose out on seven 'days off.'

I don't often tout the European system over the American one, but in Britain, if you're sick you go to the doctor and get a note. If you don't, don't even think of pulling a 'sick day.' It's a simple system that caters for the genuinely ill and doesn't award seven free pseudo 'vacation' days to workers.

Roland Hulme

June 23. 2008 10:45

Well I am on salary.  A perk I've earned because I do show up to work!  So if I'm sick, I stay home.  If I'm healthy I come to work.  No pay penalty.

But your example of the European style system is not apples to apples.  Your system is country(ies) wide so the playing field is level for all people who do business here.  In the states if Ohio decides to enforce seven days, and Indiana and Kentucky don't then companies will locate to Indiana and Kentucky.  This is not something that works in our free market setup.

This is why I said in a prior post that if they had chosen a reasonable number like 3 days then this wouldn't be an issue for me.  I've been sick for a few days at a time, every other year or so... but to enforce seven days is ripe for abuse.  Because is it fair that because I'm healthy that I don't get the extra week off of work each year?  Just ripe for abuse and a strait seven days is a bad idea.

I know that my employer will have to adjust vacation time and such to compensate for this policy if it passes.

ckincincy