Boston Public Radio hosted a debate about Question 4 on the the Massachusetts ballot, which would entitle employees in Massachusetts to earn and use sick time.
First, the nuts and bolts: Question Four would allow every worker in Massachusetts — both full-time and part-time — to earn one hour of sick time for every thirty hours worked, up to a maximum of forty hours. For employees of businesses with ten employees or fewer, that sick time is unpaid. Only two states, Connecticut and California, have similar state-wide laws on the books.
Representing both sides of the question:
Proponent Steve Crawford calls voting "yes" on Question Four a matter of values. "There is no existing law on sick time in Massachusetts. What happens is: you're on your own," Crawford said.
"There are nearly a million people in the state who don't earn a single day of paid sick time. About 450,000 don't earn any sick time at all," he continued.
On the other hand, opponent Bob Luz points out that the problem, for him, isn't with the concept of earned sick time itself — it's the "one-size-fits-all" implementation, which doesn't take into account the differences between industries.
"Our problem is with the broad brush of a ballot question. Everybody gets treated exactly the same," Luz said, pointing toward a more specific, tailored solution. "There are so many nuances that this is one of those things that really has to be dealt with by the legislature."
To hear the full debate on Ballot Question Four on Boston Public Radio, tune in to the audio link above.
