According to a national survey conducted by Lake Research Partners, small businesses in Minnesota and across the country have received around 63% broad support for this protection. I work for a small business here in Minnesota, and I can tell you that a state or federal funding mechanism for provisions of the Family and Sick Leave Act would have a positive impact on all small businesses when it comes to retaining and supporting employees. Many companies cannot afford to pay someone part of their salary while applying the Family and Sick Leave Act. Hence, it is better to use a small tax increase to pay for it than to be forced to expose an employee to financial instability. Without a supported financial component to this Vacation Act, it would normally not be possible to take medical leave from your workplace.
Safe, healthy employees are the backbone of our business world. Supporting people in ways that have minimal economic impact on small businesses is essential, hence the overwhelming support from small businesses.
The article also quoted a GOP Senator from Minnesota who defined these measures as “increasing taxes for companies and employers for benefits they may not need and / or may already have.” We have clearly seen in dealing with the pandemic over the past year that, by and large, many companies do not have these kinds of benefits, leaving many people in a difficult economic position just because they get sick. It seems obvious that the need for this financial support is increasing and that the time to implement it is now.
Greg Conley
Duluth
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