Letter to the editor: Sick leave expansion is anti-business
The expansion of Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act is both short-sighted and anti- business (“Pittsburgh City Council expands paid sick leave requirements for businesses,” June 11, TribLive). The decision to enforce the costlier ordinance came with very little, if any, input from the business community. Not only will small businesses be forced to pay employees who don’t work, they must pay for another employee to fill that shift, if they can, and then pay taxes on both employees.
City Council President Dan Lavelle has acknowledged a huge negative impact on businesses, delaying implementation so small businesses can get new loans or grants from the taxpayer-funded URA, to pay the extra costs. How can council unanimously approve what they know will either put small businesses in more debt, force them to raise prices or force taxpayers to pay the extra costs? Asking small businesses to consider taking on more debt, when many of those same businesses had to take out loans to make it through the covid shutdowns, is irresponsible.
With every business chased out by bad policy, there are fewer jobs. We need to welcome entrepreneurs and realize they want the best for communities and employees, but must also live within budgetary constraints and economic conditions.
Thomas West
Highland Park
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