Paid sick time

[Jeff 232]

HEY, this should get some of my Conservative friends on here pissed off

I was just listening to the news and Senator Ted Kennedy is going to put forth and fight for a bill that will require businesses that employ more than 15 employees to give them 7 days paid sick days. What do you think about that?

I believe that companies large or small should try to afford certain benifits, I am trying, I give a couple sick days and a Xmas bonus, and 4 days vacation pay.

I dont think the gov should require benifits. Companies that do give health care, sick days holiday pay will probably get better and more loyal employees than those that dont. I dont like how bennies and pensions are disappearing. I think all large companies SHOULD give healthcare, but required by law, No

So to all my conservitive buddies I'm with you on this one. Can you believe it LOL

Those darn democrats we are going to have some fun with them in the Majority

JL

VOTE DEM IN 2008

I know I'm still for Min Wage increase, cant give up all my liberalism

[R L S 14]

Crock of crap. The goverment is running to much of our lives. Requireing a company to do that is crazy. We need to bring back states rights and relieve the federal gov of much of there power.

[Jeff Robison 14]

If that happens it will be ironic how the person that is never sick and rarely misses work will be sick 7 days a year. How about the small business man that is struggling to make his own ends meet while giving meaningful employment to people, I guarantee he or she won't be sick 7 days a year.

Jeff Robison

Titan Exterior/Clean Up Atlanta

678-360-2518

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Yeah, and my question is this: what's in it for him? I say; Keep your legislation off my business especially when it comes to what benefits my company provides. I have had enough slackers in the past who have drained the well keeping those who have earned them from getting good benefits. This type of legislation only serves to drain the economy and further spread the poverty/affluent gap in an effort to dissolve the middle class. Ted Kennedy has not shown to have had the small business mans interest when making his bills. Hell, he is well off, why should he care whose business it hurts as long as it isn't hurting him directly? With his longstanding record in office being one fraught with problems and retributions, he has no business making any decisions for anyone else.

Off my soapbox now.

:rant:

Rod!~

[Deck Guy 14]

It will make for some interesting debate on the floor of the senate. They would need some republican support there for it to pass. That can put a conservative senator between a rock and a hard place, since most individuals would love it, but business owners would suffer the cost. If republican senators fight it, it will be used against them as not being "family friendly," and if they support it, they'd be looking out for the interests of "big business."

If it goes through, it would amount to about a 2.6% increase in labor costs, based on a 2080 hour year for full-time employees.

[Jeff 232]

I dont think it would ever pass, matter of fact I'd bet on it. I dont think most Dems would vote for it either. Mandated benifits would be a hard sell and a slippery slope to go down

Kennedy is a thorn in a lot of peoples side I know, but being from Mass myself, he was usually very good for delivering for the state. I give him credit, because he almost always is for the worker , much more than for big biz. I like that he is for working class and families. I know Chappaquiddick, Big red drinkers nose etc etc, but he delivers for his state, thats why the elect him term after term.

Paid sick leave wont pass dont worry. I just thought it was one of those crazy things/bills that go up every once in a while, that are a waste of time

[smokey51 14]

Goverment(s) are creeping into more of our lives each day. No smoking in resturants (private proverty), mandated seat belt laws (its my car), no trans-fats in cooking (let me pick where and what I eat), social security (let me invest my own money) etc. I also read somewhere that someone wants to mandate paid maternity leave. We are on a slippery slope to becoming a more socialist country than we already are.

Ok Jeff, you have gotten me started about minimum wage.

According to the Department of Labor, in 2004 73.9 million workers were paid at hourly rate and of this figure only 520,000 were making exactly $5.15 per hour. Most of these workers were young, between the ages of 16 and 25 years old with only 2% of the workers over 25. Only 5.3% of these workers live below the official proverty line and 40% of these minimum wage earners live in households with incomes over $60,000. Furthermore, 82% of these workers do not have dependents.

Wages should be tied to productivity. Jeff, lets say you hire a new employee at the new(?) minimum wage. You train him well, but he just does not learn the work well, and he produces only $5 worth of production per hour to your operation after months of training and retraining. You can do several things. One, you can analyze your operation and find a better way to do the job. This maybe new machines, new procedures, or even getting your other workers to work harder to compensate for the minimum wage worker. You can stay the course and absorb the lower profit margin. Or you can raise your prices to your customers to maintain your profit margin. Or you could fire the new employee.

Oh, and don't forget the extra monies you have to pay for social security, workers compensation, unemploymentt compensation, and other fringe benefits you pay.

A better way to help these low skilled workers is better education and in some cases, better motivation.

Terry

[Jeff 232]

Terry I figured somebody would bite on the min wage.

I understand what you say, I just think a different way on it. I figure if the congress can give themselves cost of living raises and they are doing less work, why not give cost of living raises to the lower end. Gov poverty levels are ridiculous, I heard them back a while ago. Hell a family of 3 dogs couldnt live on Gov poverty levels. I figure more money in peoples pockets the more they spend, the more the min wage is up the higher other wages in the lower end will go up. Im a biz owner, yes, but I believe in helping all people not just myself. If a person isnt worth $5.15, I'd know it in a day and would let him go

theres 2 sides to every coin and its just my humble position on it.

JL

How about stem cell research? I know now I'm just starting trouble LOL not me!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

And here is this: On The Job Training.

None ever considers the costs of labor wages lost in minimally productive periods for training purposes not to mention those of the person(s) having to conduct the training who is not working anywhere near core efficiency. One could say that it would be made up in that person becoming productive, but how many trainee's does one have to go through to find one that becomes productive? How does one recoup those costs for the numerous individuals who do not work out or quit? You don't!

Minimum wage is a joke because noone in our area is paid it. People won't come to an interview for anything less than $12.00/hr and even then the capabilities of those individuals who do show are mostly unskilled , untrained, inexperienced uneducated and worst of all unmotivated. And the topping on the Sundae is that they want to be the Supervisor!!!

Sick leave, group insurance, holiday pay benefits, bonuses, unemployment insurance, workmans compensation insurance...they are all gimmicks to motivate the work force but often we (the businesses) are left footing the bill and struggling to make up for lost time that this pampered work force creates.

This is what I have learned. Now I am on the lookout for stuff like what Jeff posts because it does affect our business and our families future which is provided by this business. I love what I do, and I don't mind going out and bringing in new blood to help, I just don't like outside forces acting against my will or our companies well being.

Rod!~

[Jeff 232]

And here is this: On The Job Training.

None ever considers the costs of labor wages lost in minimally productive periods for training purposes not to mention those of the person(s) having to conduct the training who is not working anywhere near core efficiency. One could say that it would be made up in that person becoming productive, but how many trainee's does one have to go through to find one that becomes productive? How does one recoup those costs for the numerous individuals who do not work out or quit? You don't!

Minimum wage is a joke because noone in our area is paid it. People won't come to an interview for anything less than $12.00/hr and even then the capabilities of those individuals who do show are mostly unskilled , untrained, inexperienced uneducated and worst of all unmotivated. And the topping on the Sundae is that they want to be the Supervisor!!!

Sick leave, maternal leave, group insurance, holiday pay benefits, bonuses, unemployment insurance, workmans compensation insurance...they are all gimmicks to motivate the work force but often we (the businesses) are left footing the bill and struggling to make up for lost time that this pampered work force creates.

This is what I have learned. Now I am on the lookout for stuff like what Jeff posts because it does affect our business and our families future which is provided by this business. I love what I do, and I don't mind going out and bringing in new blood to help, I just don't like outside forces acting against my will or our companies well being.

Rod!~

I too dont like outside forces telling a biz they have to give bennies, thats up to the company and also up to the prospective employee if he wants to take a job without bennies

Its a shame thou that bennies like health care are disappearing for many in the work force. When I was young even most low paying jobs had health care and some other bennies. Now its impossible for some companies to afford to give them. The workers in this country are getting less & less and less pay in many cases

My Sister in law works for a large doctors office she does MRI's. $19 an hr good pay around here. She pay almost $700 a month for family health insur. and in 2007 its going up 21% UNREAL and she works for a MD. Whats the figure out to be about a week & a half of her pay a month goes to just paying her health care, not including co pays, thats just wrong

In my area many work for around $6.00 an hour give or take and I think the min wage should be increased, Cost of living increases , your congressman gets big ones why not the people they represent

[Jon 533]

In your company employee handbook all of you need to add the following:

Rule # 101 At no time is an employee allowed to become sick, sickness is not a hazard of this employment and failure to abide by company rules is ground for dismissal!

This is a privately owned company not subject to any government rules, regulations or laws.

If you want sick leave I suggest you go work for the government.

Have each employee sign it.

You're now free of any stupid rich mans laws.

Hey Teddy boy never worked a day in his life so what does he know about the working man?

[Jeff 232]

Hey Teddy boy never worked a day in his life so what does he know about the working man?

And do you think GW knows anything about the working man or even really cares LOL

Hell half of all the congress probably was born with a silver spoon in there mouth. Have you seen how many congressmen have these great tans., must be working hard.

Do you know now that the average work week for a congressman is just over 2 days a week (FACT), I forget but it was 10 -15 years ago it was at least a 4 day week for them. A few days ago they went out for the Xmas break and they dont come back until January. Must be nice to get 3-4 weeks off for just one holiday. WHAT A JOKE , a joke on us the American citizen

Give any of these people 2 years in Washington and they are all the same.