ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Democrat-controlled Minnesota House voted vote 69-54 to require employers, big and small, to provide paid sick leave. The bill next goes to the Senate, where passage also is expected. As the bill stands now, workers would accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work. The paid leave maxes out at 16 weeks. The time could be used to recover from illness, to care for sick family, or to cover weather closures. The bill allows exception for labor unions whose existing contracts have stronger overall provisions. The bill’s main sponsor, Representative Liz Olson, D-Duluth, was mocked for the labor union exception. “Lizzie’s loophole” it was called by Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington. “We’ve seen it from our friends on the Iron Range before. A little special perk, a little special set aside, is given to the collective bargaining units. I compliment them on their effectiveness for doing this. I just want the flexibility that the unions have gotten. I just want to see that for small businesses.” Among GOP objections was that many small businesses would be burdened with new bookkeeping. Also, said one Republican representative during the seven-hour debate, many small businesses already treat employees like family.
Olson. Her paid leave bill would fine would employers $10,000 for a violation, which Republicans called outlandish. The bill would create access to paid day off for 900,000 people.