To the editor-

Especially with Colorado’s unemployment rate skyrocketing 57 percent from April 2008 to April 2009, the push to mandate paid sick leave is thoroughly misguided (“Swine flu should encourage paid sick days,” June 2). Forcing employers—a majority of whom already have sick leave policies in place—to commit to this time off will hurt the very employees this mandate purports to help.

Imposing a typical sick leave mandate will likely increase employer costs by as much as 5% per year. Research from the University of California, Irvine shows that a 5% increase in labor costs will cause another spike in unemployment beyond current levels (with the largest unemployment increases among high-school dropouts and minority teens).

Businesses offset additional labor costs by reducing staff hours, benefits, and wages. Especially at a time when the economy is struggling, state policymakers should focus on promoting job growth instead of pushing mandates that create barriers to entry-level employment, especially for the state’s most vulnerable workers.

Sincerely –

Kristen Lopez Eastlick

Senior Economic Analyst

Employment Policies Institute

Washington, DC

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