Inaction was right

State lawmakers have done the absolute right thing - nothing - on the proposal by a coalition that wants to mandate paid sick days on Ohio businesses. Expect the group to collect enough signatures to place its measure on the November ballot. Given recent the success of recent feel-good referendum movements, it's unfortunately likely that this newest government mandate will take effect.
All that said, the Republican leadership in the Ohio General Assembly deserves credit for not helping advance this foolish cause. Republicans of late haven't been so good at putting sound principles before public pandering. Too often, politicians "let the people decide" the controversial issues voters seated them to decide. This time, the Republican leaders in Columbus saw a jobs killer for what it is and didn't touch it.
The misnamed Healthy Families Act would mandate that companies with at least 25 workers give at least seven paid sick days a year to full-time employees and paid time off to part-time employees. Full time means 30 hours in this case. The act would prohibit reducing existing benefits to comply with the mandate. Ohio would be the first state with such a mandate.
"Coming on the heels of passage of the 2006 minimum wage amendment, this is a step backward that could make it even harder for Ohio to overcome current economic difficulties and will negatively affect the state's ability to attract new business, Ohio Society of CPAs executive board Chairman Jim Haubrock said in a statement. The certified public accountants group opposes the Healthy Families Act. "States we compete with to recruit and retain employers could use this as an economic development tool," Haubrock said. "Given our current economic status, many businesses are already operating under a slim profit margin. Rather than helping employees, this proposed mandate may force employers to cut workers' hours, downsize employees, or simply go out of business."
Service Employees International Union 1199 is behind the initiative. With it comes the usual rhetoric about greedy business owners who don't pay workers when they're ill. But most of the businesses the proposal would affect employ low-skill, entry-level workers. Paid sick time is part of a normal compensation package in evenly moderately higher-skilled jobs, the same as vacation time or matching retirement fund contributions.
Those who want to restore Ohio to a competitive place for jobs have an uphill battle, particularly if you consider the number of people who will vote for the mandated sick days because it sure sounds good. The Republican-controlled Legislature was eight to make labor do its own lifting to get this proposal on the ballot.