Mayor Bloomberg yesterday fulfilled his pledge to veto a hard-fought paid-sick-leave bill approved by the City Council, saying it would “inevitably increase costs for employers.”
“If this bill becomes law, it will harm New York City’s competitive position by adding to the already high cost of doing business in New York City,” the mayor warned in a two-page veto letter.
“Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, as well as New Jersey, will enjoy a cost advantage.”
At a minimum, the mayor said the Department of Consumer Affairs would have to hire 49 extra staffers for enforcement at a cost of $8 million the first year and $4.8 million each succeeding year.
The City Council is certain to override his veto, since the bill passed by a 45-3 margin. Thirty-four votes are needed for an override.
Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), the chief sponsor, called Bloomberg’s move disappointing, even though he had repeatedly announced his intentions to cast the veto.
“It is a mistake to oppose those basic protections for working people, especially when those that oppose them already have such rights,” she said.
The bill requires businesses with 20 or more employees to provide at least five days of paid sick leave starting in April 2014.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is running for mayor and competing for union support, agreed to back the measure after employee-count threshold for businesses to be affected by the measure was raised from five to 20.