Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Doesn't Help Workers

The Dallas City Council passed an ordinance last April requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave for employees, joining Austin and San Antonio who passed similar measures.The backlash from business interests and conservatives was swift, with legal and legislative challenges ensuing.But our primary focus should be on what impact this has on workers. And the most critical problem with these ordinances is that they actually end up hurting the people they are supposed to help.Here's why. When something costs more, we buy less of it. This holds true for labor as well as goods. Outgoing council member Philip Kingston and other supporters of Dallas' sick-leave ordinance might believe they had the best interests of workers in mind when they pushed it through. However, when the City Council passed the paid sick leave ordinance, they actually increased the cost of labor and thus ensured that businesses will hire fewer workers than they otherwise could. Even though the ordinance is easier for small businesses to follow, it can trap workers in bad jobs and keep unemployed people down.  Continue reading...