California Mandates Sick Days For Workers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday that will require most California employers next year to provide up to three sick days for millions of workers, a policy long-sought by labor unions but opposed by business groups.

"This is the least we can do," Brown told reporters after signing the bill at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles, alluding to a growing income gap that has left many Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Supporters said as many as 6.5 million workers - including temporary and part-time employees - will benefit from the law that takes effect next July.

"Whether you're a dishwasher in San Diego or a store clerk in Oakland, this bill frees you of having to choose between your family's health and your job," Brown said in a statement from his office.

The law will require most employers to provide paid sick leave to employees who work 30 or more days within a year, and workers will earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

The legislation by Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, hit a last-minute snag when key unions and some Democrats pulled their support in the final hours of the legislative session last month when Brown sought an exemption for home health aides for the elderly and people with disabilities. That affects about 363,000 employees paid through the state's In-Home Supportive Services network, which would have increased costs to the state.

The National Federation of Independent Business in California said in a statement that the law will kill plans by small employers to expand their businesses.

"So the state can't afford its own mandates, but small business owners are supposed to be able to absorb those costs?" said John Kabateck, the group's executive director. "Our small business owners, who make up more than 99 percent of the employer community in California, already face an increase in minimum wage, among the highest taxes and more regulations than any other state."

The California Chamber of Commerce previously included the bill on its list of so-called "job killers" but withdrew the designation after amendments were made to allow employers to keep existing policies allowing different accrual rates for sick pay as long as they offer a minimum of three paid days off per year.

Brown signed the legislation in Los Angeles with fellow Democrats, many of whom face re-election this year.

Connecticut already has a statewide paid sick leave law, and voters in Massachusetts will decide on a similar proposal in the November election, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families, which praised the enactment of the California law but called for it to be expanded to home health workers.

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Associated Press writer Juliet Williams in Sacramento also contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.