SACRAMENTO (AP) - A bill requiring paid sick leave for California workers has been approved by a state Assembly committee.
The measure by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma cleared the Labor and Employment Committee on Wednesday with a 6-2 vote.
It would enable workers to qualify for up to nine days of paid sick leave a year. Employers with fewer than 10 employees would have to provide up to five days annually.
Ma, a San Francisco Democrat, says nearly six million California workers do not have paid sick leave now, forcing them to choose between going to work ill or losing pay.
She predicts the bill will save businesses money by reducing turnover, preventing co-workers from becoming ill and increasing productivity. But the National Federation of Independent Businesses opposes the bill, predicting it would cost jobs.
The measure now moves to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
On the Net:
Read the bill, AB2716, at http://www.assembly.ca.gov