Voters approved sick leave mandate by 58%, but lawmakers are caving to lobbying by the state’s chamber of commerce

Being sick is a costly business for Bill Thompson, who worked in the fast-food industry in Independence, Missouri, for more than 30 years, and recently worked at Guitar Center until early July, when he was laid off as.

“As an older worker, I have health issues from working on my feet and with my hands for many years with no breaks for eight to 10 hours a day. I have done it for 38 years now, living paycheck to paycheck,” 54-year-old Thompson said, noting in Missouri, workers are not mandated breaks of any kind during work.

So when Republicans in Missouri repealed a paid sick leave mandate that the state’s voters approved by 58% after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the Missouri chamber of commerce and industry and other business industry groups, he said, “It was a literal gut punch.”

  • roscoe@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    9 days ago

    I’ve never understood this. Even from the viewpoint of an extremely selfish person; do you want someone with COVID, the flu, or a cold making your food, or even just interacting with you in a retail environment? And as for employers; how shortsighted are you that you don’t realize that while one sick person coming in may be better for productivity than them staying home, that quickly becomes five sick people working much less efficiently instead of four healthy ones and one person out sick?

      • JaggedRobotPubes@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Yeah but that’s not an answer. It also makes no sense.

        Get people to think through the fact that that does not help them.

        • Archer@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          Yeah but that’s not an answer. It also makes no sense.

          Sure it is. You want people to suffer. This policy does that.

    • swelter_spark@reddthat.com
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      9 days ago

      I used to work for someone who prided herself on never missing work. My first day back after catching bronchitis from her, she called me into her office to berate me for taking time off when she was there working with a 104 degree fever all week.

      • roscoe@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        8 days ago

        I don’t know what’s worse, those dipshits that never take the time, or the ones that come in sick because sick days are for impromptu golf days.