Even as City Council Speaker Christine Quinn bragged yesterday about the deal she struck to mandate paid sick leave, she tacitly admitted the harm it would do. And it’s likely to get worse next year — no matter who becomes mayor.
“We wanted to do [a paid-sick-leave mandate] in a way that was mindful of the economy and small businesses,” Quinn said. Translation: It will squeeze businesses and the workers who depend on them for jobs, but she’s worked to minimize the damage.
How reassuring.
It all raises a key question: Why harm the economy at all? As Mayor Bloomberg, who vowed to veto the bill, put it: “There is never a good time to make New York City less competitive.” He’s right — but Quinn has enough votes to override his veto.
There’s no secret about the reason for Quinn’s sudden consent to the sick-leave bill, after having blocked it for three years: She’s now running for mayor. Her Democratic rivals were using the bill to score big points; her council colleagues were threatening an open revolt; and passing it wins her key union support.
Yes, the compromise is better than the hard-line bill demanded by most of the council: It raises the minimum number of employees needed for coverage and doesn’t kick in until next spring.
But what will happen when New York has a new mayor, council and speaker? For such “compromises” are inevitably just a starting point. With Bloomberg gone and a more activist speaker, look for council members to “fix” this bill — by expanding it. And it won’t end with paid sick leave.
The best way to improve life for city workers is not by imposing politically motivated diktats on employers. It’s by giving business the freedom it needs to create a dynamic, expanding economy.
When the economy is growing, businesses are more generous because they are making more money, and workers have more choices because there are more jobs.
They also have more leverage, because they no longer have to cling to bad jobs and bad bosses who won’t give them a sick day they need. Everyone is better off.
Except the pols.