By IRN
SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois business group wants Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto a bill that would allow workers to use sick leave for family members’ illnesses.
Mark Denzler, vice president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said the Employee Sick Leave Act would allow the state to tell businesses what to do.
“These decisions are best left in the hands of employers who can make choices for their employees about the best type of way to administer leave programs,” he said.
The bill would impact collective bargaining agreements and violate some provisions of federal law, Denzler added. “So we think that very clearly this violates some provisions of federal law, we think it is going to probably have to be litigated.”
Danzler said his group asked for an amendment that would pre-empt local governments from imposing their own policies in that area. That amendment, however, didn’t get out of committee.“We tried our best to work with them but unfortunately they rebuffed our efforts,” he said.
Denzler called the bill another unfunded mandate on employers that makes it more expensive to do business in the state.
A fiscal note on the bill states it would cost the state about $277,000 to implement. It says the state Department of Labor would need to add at least two employees — a wage claim specialist and an administrative law judge. There would also be additional administrative costs and technology costs.
