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Obama Executive Order--Required paid sick leave


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/07/in-boston-speech-obama-to-unveil-executive-order-for-more-paid-sick-leave/

In Boston speech, Obama unveils executive order for more paid sick leave

Obama adds paid sick leave for federal contractors

President Barack Obama announced he's signing an executive order requiring federal contractors to give their workers paid sick leave in a Labor Day speech in Boston. (AP)

BOSTON -- President Obama rallied union workers here Monday, unveiling a new executive order that will require federal contractors to offer employees up to seven days of paid sick leave, a move he sought to contrast with Republican economic policies.

Obama announced the new directive, which the White House said could benefit more than 300,000 workers, during a Labor Day speech in Boston. It was the latest in the White House’s year-long effort to pressure Congress to approve legislation that would provide similar benefits for millions of private-sector workers.

"Right now, you have parents who have to choose between losing income or staying home with a sick child," Obama told a crowd of 765 supporters, including many labor officials, during the annual Greater Boston Labor Council breakfast, sponsored by the AFL-CIO.

Under the executive order, workers on federal contracts would be eligible for paid leave if they are sick or caring for a sick relative. They will earn one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of seven days a year, officials said. The new order won’t take effect until after Obama leaves office in early 2017.

With the campaign for his successor underway, the president drew a sharp contrast between his administration's policies and those of Republicans. The GOP believes the best way to stimulate the economy is to cut taxes and loosen regulation, Obama said.

Republicans think "just wait, look up in sky, and see prosperity come raining down on us on top of whatever high-rise is in New York City," he said. "That’s not how the economy works."

In particular, Obama mocked Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ®, a presidential hopeful whose support for anti-union laws in his state made him popular within the national GOP but angered labor leaders. Without mentioning him by name, the president ridiculed Walker for suggesting, in February, that "busting unions prepared him to fight ISIL" -- a reference to the Islamic State militant group.

During a campaign appearance at a diner in Rochester, N.H., Walker responded by saying that while Obama "stands with the big government union bosses, we stand with hard-working people."

Walker added that "the president and his allies fear us more than anybody else in the race because they know we don't just talk about it, we get it done. We fight, we win, we actually get results and we've done it without compromising our conservative principles."

The president’s Boston trip was intended to serve as a rallying point with organized labor heading into the 2016 elections. Obama and labor leaders butted heads this spring over the president's successful push to win additional authority from Congress to complete international trade deals.

But big labor has been buoyed by the White House and congressional Democrats' commitment to championing parental leave and sick leave laws, as popular support has grown for such measures in many parts of the country. An estimated 44 million private-sector workers -- about 40 percent of the workforce -- do not have access to paid sick leave, according to the White House.

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and a host of labor leaders joined Obama on Air Force One for the quick trip to Boston. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who attended the speech, was among those who traveled home on the presidential jet.

Before heading home to Washington, Obama made an unannounced lunchtime stop at Union Oyster House, a historical landmark established in 1716, where he surprised patrons by ordering 10 clam chowders to go.

“We’ll eat them on Air Force One,” he told the bartender.

Obama signed a presidential memorandum in January directing agencies to allow federal workers to take six weeks of advanced paid sick leave to care for a new child or ill family members.

Despite a heavy push by the Obama administration, however, proposals for paid sick leave have languished in the GOP-controlled Congress, much like efforts to increase the minimum wage.

The United States is one of just a handful of countries that do not offer paid leave; congressional Republicans have introduced measures offering workplace flexibility and tax credits in some instances, but they have opposed mandating paid leave.

The push for paid leave has gained momentum across the country, although it tends to be in Democratic-leaning states and cities. The president highlighted a Massachusetts law, approved by voters in November, that provides employees with up to 40 hours of sick leave per year. That law went into effect in July.

During his remarks at the breakfast, Obama playfully noted that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose four-game suspension by the National Football League was overturned last week by a federal judge, had the strong backing of the players association.

"Even Brady's happy he's got a union," Obama said. "They had his back. You know if Brady needs a union, we definitely need unions."

David Nakamura covers the White House. He has previously covered sports, education and city government and reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Japan.

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To me, this is an example of the big difference between conservatives and liberals. It seems that liberals like moves like this because it makes workers happy (and gets more votes). Conservatives don't like the government telling the private sector what to do. I loved the comment I saw where they have not made an estimate of how much this will cost employers, but the Obama administration thinks the increased worker productivity will offset any costs. Give me a break!

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Why wasn't this move a " 1st 100 Days " sort of order ? From his first term. Seems all manner of hopey changey, and yet he's just now getting 'round to it ?

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I thought federal workers get paid sick leave if they have accumulated it?

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

I disagree. I think we should have a four day work week.

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.
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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.

More productive? This just shows you the bubble he lives in. Most workers if given 2 sick days will take 2 sick days. If a worker is given 10 sick days they will take 10 sick days. How is this being more productive. I have no problem with companies giving their employees sick days but it should not be Federally mandated.

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.

More productive? This just shows you the bubble he lives in. Most workers if given 2 sick days will take 2 sick days. If a worker is given 10 sick days they will take 10 sick days. How is this being more productive. I have no problem with companies giving their employees sick days but it should not be Federally mandated.

Really? Debate aside, In what field do you work? I've never had a job where nearly everyone there didn't have tons and tons of days because no one really used them.

I've also never held a job that didn't give at least 7 days a year, most gave a lot more.

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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.

More productive? This just shows you the bubble he lives in. Most workers if given 2 sick days will take 2 sick days. If a worker is given 10 sick days they will take 10 sick days. How is this being more productive. I have no problem with companies giving their employees sick days but it should not be Federally mandated.

Really? Debate aside, In what field do you work? I've never had a job where nearly everyone there didn't have tons and tons of days because no one really used them.

I've also never held a job that didn't give at least 7 days a year, most gave a lot more.

Seriously. Most people I know in the IT field have to be told to take more vacation days, much less sick time. At one place I worked, if you accumulated more than a certain number of sick days, you could convert anything over that amount to regular vacation days. And people frequently did so.

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.

More productive? This just shows you the bubble he lives in. Most workers if given 2 sick days will take 2 sick days. If a worker is given 10 sick days they will take 10 sick days. How is this being more productive. I have no problem with companies giving their employees sick days but it should not be Federally mandated.

Really? Debate aside, In what field do you work? I've never had a job where nearly everyone there didn't have tons and tons of days because no one really used them.

I've also never held a job that didn't give at least 7 days a year, most gave a lot more.

Seriously. Most people I know in the IT field have to be told to take more vacation days, much less sick time. At one place I worked, if you accumulated more than a certain number of sick days, you could convert anything over that amount to regular vacation days. And people frequently did so.

Even when I do take a vacation or sick day, I do not get left alone by the office.

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Anther dent in productivity. No wonder we can't compete with Japan and China.

Like people that are sick are really being productive.

More productive? This just shows you the bubble he lives in. Most workers if given 2 sick days will take 2 sick days. If a worker is given 10 sick days they will take 10 sick days. How is this being more productive. I have no problem with companies giving their employees sick days but it should not be Federally mandated.

Really? Debate aside, In what field do you work? I've never had a job where nearly everyone there didn't have tons and tons of days because no one really used them.

I've also never held a job that didn't give at least 7 days a year, most gave a lot more.

You have been lucky then. My wife's work has 2 weeks paid vacation and 3 sick days. She has been there for 30+ years and leads her dept.
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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Have you ever looked into the Nordic model of Welfare and Capitalism? People here wouldn't be able to handle the higher taxes of the Nordic model but the benefits are off the charts.
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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Careful Titan, your conservative credentials are at risk. ;)

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Federal workers already get paid sick time....it's the contractors that Obama provided this executive order for....which is interesting because most of them have it written into their contracts to begin with. Of course some do not.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/sick-leave-general-information/

It's an interesting way of circumventing the US Congress........again. I agree with it in principal, but I don't know if I am on board from a constitutional standpoint.

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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Careful Titan, your conservative credentials are at risk. ;)

Actually, if you think about it, my position is the epitome of a conservative one. It expects decent people to do the right thing with no government involvement. :)

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Federal workers already get paid sick time....it's the contractors that Obama provided this executive order for....which is interesting because most of them have it written into their contracts to begin with. Of course some do not.

https://www.opm.gov/...al-information/

It's an interesting way of circumventing the US Congress........again. I agree with it in principal, but I don't know if I am on board from a constitutional standpoint.

I've worked for government contractors. Some give sick time and others don't. They roll it into "personal time off." If you get the flu, well you've eaten into some potential vacation time. If you're relatively healthy, you come out ok.

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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Careful Titan, your conservative credentials are at risk. ;)

Actually, if you think about it, my position is the epitome of a conservative one. It expects decent people to do the right thing with no government involvement. :)

I agree.

But then I think there are many "liberal" positions that are actually more philosophically conservative than liberal in their substance. A prime example is concern for environmental sustainability. If that's not a conservative issue, what is? :dunno:

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IKE thought it was. He even stated so in his final address.

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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Careful Titan, your conservative credentials are at risk. ;)

Actually, if you think about it, my position is the epitome of a conservative one. It expects decent people to do the right thing with no government involvement. :)

I am a little more cynical than you are. Maybe not as cynical as Thomas Hobbs :lol: He thought men were inherently evil and that they should submit themselves to an unaccountable government or else their own state of nature would lead them to destruction.
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It's kind of pitiful that such a requirement would even have to come from the government at all. It's just basic humanity to acknowledge that people are going to get sick and that you should have some provision for that other than "sucks for you - pay your bills some other way."

While we're on it, it's also a disgrace that a country like ours doesn't give paid maternity leave. And that it took into the 90s just to be able to have unpaid leave without losing your job for having a baby. If you want to claim you're pro-life, that's a terrible way to show it.

Careful Titan, your conservative credentials are at risk. ;)

Actually, if you think about it, my position is the epitome of a conservative one. It expects decent people to do the right thing with no government involvement. :)

I am a little more cynical than you are. Maybe not as cynical as Thomas Hobbs :lol: He thought men were inherently evil and that they should submit themselves to an unaccountable government or else their own state of nature would lead them to destruction.

No, I'm a cynic too. But I like to give ample opportunity for people to do the right thing on their own before advocating for gov't involvement.

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I used to get sick time, but a couple years ago my employer got rid of sick time and increased the rate at which I accrue vacation time and called it Paid Time Off (PTO). How would this affect employers that have arrangements such as this?

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