 SACRAMENTO,
Calif. (KCBS) -- A state Senate
committee is set to take up a bill Monday that would
grant paid sick days to every worker in California. The
bill by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma is modeled on a law
that's already in effect in San Francisco.
"For large employers who have 10 or more employees,
workers can earn up to nine paid sick days. For smaller
businesses they can earn up to five paid sick days,"
said Ma.
Ma estimates some 5- to 6- million Californians, or
about 40 percent of the state's workforce, are currently
not entitled to any paid sick leave at all.
Business groups opposed to the bill say many
companies simply cannot afford the additional
overhead.
"Some employers have said that they'll have to forgo
raises for their employees, there won't be bonuses, they
may have to cut back on vacation time. In very severe
cases, we might see some job losses, and cutting back on
hours," said Marty Fisher, a policy advocate for the
California Chamber of Commerce:
The bill, formally known as the California Healthy
Families, Healthy Work Places Act, has already been
approved by the Senate. Ma hopes to get the legislation
on the governor's desk in about a month. | 
