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By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer 09/25/2007

Led by the Maine Women's Lobby, 30 groups are beginning a renewed push for a bill that will be considered by lawmakers again next year. The bill was held over from the session earlier this year, and faced significant opposition from business groups.

"Everybody gets sick, but not everybody gets paid time off," said Sarah Standiford, executive director of the women's lobby.

The group will use Longfellow School in Portland as a backdrop for their press conference, where they will release poll results that show 85 percent of those asked support the bill. The women's lobby commissioned the poll, Standiford said.

"What the poll tells us is that a majority of Maine people understand this as a core values issue," she said.

But business groups say it will be costly, an administrative burden, and would be the first such measure passed anywhere in the country.

"The business community was fairly united in its opposition and that's not going to change," said Peter Gore, senior government affairs specialist with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. "Passage of this bill will add significantly to the cost of doing business in this state."

Gore said he worked closely with the women's lobby and other groups two years ago on legislation to allow workers to use their sick time or vacation time to care for a family member. He said that new law hasn't had time to work and now the groups are coming back with another mandate on businesses.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jacqueline Norton, D-Bangor, requires large Maine employers to offer one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Leave time can be capped at nine days.

In April, the Legislature's Labor Committee took three hours of testimony on the bill, which would apply to only 8 percent of Maine businesses.

That's because the vast majority of businesses in Maine have fewer than 25 employees.

But it would affect big employers, such as UnumProvident, Hannaford Bros., Tambrands and Lincoln Paper and Tissue, all of whom opposed the bill.

Standiford said the bill is different from previous efforts to allow for flexible use of paid time off.

This bill targets the 46 percent of full-time private sector workers in the state who get no paid sick days.

She said the issue is hot nationally and in other states -- including Massachusetts and Connecticut -- and that there are studies that show that when people come to work sick they cost companies money.

Their efforts today will highlight what happens when parents who don't have paid sick time bring their sick children to school, she said. In the coming months, they will send out post cards, gather signatures and encourage people to call their lawmakers to try to drum up support for the bill.

Gore, who said there's widespread opposition from business groups, said he doesn't see any softening of their position.

"Maine has already taken fairly progressive steps in this area," he said.

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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