An NPR member station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Paid Sick Time Stalls In Oregon Legislature

Chris Phan
/
Flickr

Supporters of a proposal to extend paid sick time to most Oregon workers say the legislation has stalled.

As it's now written, the measure would require businesses with six or more workers to offer up to five days of paid sick leave per year.

Backers, including Democratic Representative Paul Holvey, said the measure would benefit more than just employees.

"We shouldn't be forcing people, because they can't afford to stay home, to go to work that puts the public somewhat at risk if they're working in the food service industry, child care, taking care of seniors,” Holvey said.

Holvey spoke at a state capitol press conference meant to put pressure on lawmakers to vote the measure out of a committee where it's been stuck for nearly two months.

Critics argue the paid sick time bill would put small businesses at a disadvantage because they have so few workers that they can't afford to pay the ones who aren't actually there, even if they're sick.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.