The Business Council has launched a new Web-based electronic-advocacy campaign to show lawmakers the statewide opposition to paid family leave proposals.
The initiative enables business owners and others to send letters to elected officials voicing concerns about the impact paid family leave proposals would have on New York businesses and asking lawmakers to oppose such proposals.
The Council is collaborating with local and regional chambers in the effort. More than a dozen chambers affiliated with the Council through the Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS) will be promoting the e-advocacy effort to their own members.
Business Council members and concerned individuals are encouraged to participate by visiting www.votervoice.net/Core.aspx?AID=768&APP=GAC&IssueID=11265&SiteID=-1.
“‘Paid family leave' proposals would provide disability benefits to workers who take leaves to deal with a variety of family situations - from child bonding, to caring for a sick parent,” an introductory message on the e-advocacy site says. “Employers large and small have told The Business Council that any such mandate would damage their businesses.”
“The problem isn't just the direct cost of the payments to workers on leave,” the introduction says. “It's the fact that a mandate like this will encourage abseentism -- thereby disrupting work schedules, forcing employers to fill gaps with overtime imposed on other workers, and causing some to lose business opportunities.”
Visitors to the e-advocacy page are asked by the system to fill in their home or business address. The system generates a letter to that visitors lawmaker based on the zip code entered. Users may select additional lawmakers to send a letter to. Visitors then print the letter on their stationary and mail it to the address provided.
In June 5 legislative testimony, Tom Minnick, the Council's specialist in labor policy, told state legislators that the Council opposes any proposals to require employers to offer paid family leave, especially if they would use the state's employer-funded disability system to give paid benefits to employees who are not disabled.
“Paid family leave legislative mandates would be another state government policy barrier contributing to our state's uncompetitive business position,” Minnick testified.
"New York already struggles with job-creation costs and mandates that are among the nation's highest," Minnick testified. "These high costs and mandates are the main reasons why New York's long-term job-growth is so weak relative to the nation's and even to similar, competitor states."
A new mandate that imposed new costs, created new administrative hassles, or both, would worsen these problems, he said.