Sick-Day Petition Set For State's Scrutiny

250,000-plus signatures

Saturday,  December 8, 2007 3:22 AM

By Alan Johnson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Armed with more than 250,000 signatures, backers of a proposal to mandate at least seven paid sick days annually for all full-time Ohio workers will submit their petition next week to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Ohioans for Healthy Families, a 180-member, union-led coalition, will turn in the petition forms at noon Tuesday.

If at least 120,683 of the names -- less than half the number to be submitted -- are valid signatures of registered voters, the issue will be sent to the Ohio General Assembly as an initiated statute.

State lawmakers will then have 120 days to enact the requested legislation. If they don't, or the coalition isn't satisfied with what the legislature passes, the group can gather another 120,683 signatures to put the measure on the November 2008 ballot as a statewide issue.

Spokesman Brian Dunn said that when supporters began collecting signatures in October, "We predicted voters would overwhelmingly rally to the cause. But their enthusiasm has surprised even us. In three short months, we've collected more than double the number of signatures we needed …

"Clearly, paid sick days is an idea whose time has come. We call on the legislature to pass this bill quickly and give the people what they want."

The proposal would require all companies with at least 25 employees to provide seven sick days a year for themselves or to care for a child, parent or spouse. Part-time workers would get a prorated number of days.

Business owners are generally opposed to the proposal, arguing it will cost them money and intrude on how they run their businesses.

Small businesses will suffer most, the National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio says, because many larger companies already give employees at least seven sick days.

Supporters of the issue counter that more than 2 million people, about 42 percent of Ohio's private work force, have no paid sick days.