http://camera-letterstotheeditor.pmpblogs.com/2009/06/04/kristen-lopez-eastlick-more-paid-sick-leave-would-hurt-workers/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:40:19 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://camera-letterstotheeditor.pmpblogs.com/2009/06/04/kristen-lopez-eastlick-more-paid-sick-leave-would-hurt-workers/comment-page-1/#comment-156 Richard Teichler Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:54:31 +0000 http://camera-letterstotheeditor.pmpblogs.com/?p=673#comment-156 The Employment Policies Institute is a front group "created by Berman & Co., a Washington, DC public affairs firm owned by Rick Berman, who lobbies for the restaurant, hotel, alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries" (quotation from sourcewatch.org). While one can appreciate the knee-jerk reaction of such a group when a proposal affects the exploiters of "entry-level employment", Ms. Eastlick is attempting to distract attention from the real problem. Public health needs should carry more weight than the short-term profits of the service industry. A true deadly pandemic disease will force sick day laws on her clients. Let's hope that we don't need a catastrophe to force us to do the right thing. In the meantime, as the original letter pointed out, sick employees share all sorts of delightful diseases with customers. Is shutting a restaurant for a week after an norovirus outbreak less costly to its owner than a decent sick-leave policy? I wonder if lobbyists at Berman & Co. get paid sick days. If so, why are they so dedicated to denying that benefit to others? The Employment Policies Institute is a front group “created by Berman & Co., a Washington, DC public affairs firm owned by Rick Berman, who lobbies for the restaurant, hotel, alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries” (quotation from sourcewatch.org). While one can appreciate the knee-jerk reaction of such a group when a proposal affects the exploiters of “entry-level employment”, Ms. Eastlick is attempting to distract attention from the real problem. Public health needs should carry more weight than the short-term profits of the service industry. A true deadly pandemic disease will force sick day laws on her clients. Let’s hope that we don’t need a catastrophe to force us to do the right thing. In the meantime, as the original letter pointed out, sick employees share all sorts of delightful diseases with customers. Is shutting a restaurant for a week after an norovirus outbreak less costly to its owner than a decent sick-leave policy? I wonder if lobbyists at Berman & Co. get paid sick days. If so, why are they so dedicated to denying that benefit to others?

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