Friday, March 29, 2019 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
As a Southern Nevada business owner for 25 years, I know how much small businesses like mine depend on healthy people to meet our customers’ needs.
That’s why I support paid sick days for all Nevadans.
In business, you inevitably run into situations you would rather not have to deal with, including employees becoming ill. Having a clearly defined earned sick time policy in place helps small businesses more easily manage and plan for such situations.
My staff knows I trust them to make the right decision and stay home if they need to. We are all members of the same team — these are the people I work side-by-side with every day. They make my companies what they are, and I want them to feel secure during times of duress.
Despite the best intentions of small-business employers like me, who are striving to do the right thing, it’s estimated that over half a million working Nevadans lack access to earned paid sick time.
For many families in our state, it is not an option to take an unpaid day off of work. And even if they could string together enough income to cover their basic needs and go without pay for a day, there is no protection or guarantee that their job will still be there for them.
Every working Nevadan should have the right to stay home when they are sick, without sacrificing meals, rent or their job altogether. By establishing a standard, we can create predictability for employers and their employees, saving valuable time and energy for both parties.
A fair policy is one that applies to all employers, leveling the playing field between large and small businesses, so small businesses can better compete for dedicated employees. Currently, employees of small businesses disproportionately lack access to earned paid sick days.
I believe a common-sense earned paid sick days policy — one that applies across the spectrum of businesses — would promote fairness and empower all employers to take better care of the people we depend on.
A bill for earned paid sick days has already been introduced in the Nevada Legislature. If passed, it would give employees the opportunity to accrue one hour of earned paid sick time for every 30 hours they work — up to roughly eight days a year. This modest floor for compensated sick time would provide the security Nevada families need.
Establishing a standard for earned paid sick days is a step we should all take together — workers, small businesses and larger companies — to create a more vibrant, equitable state economy.
Peter Frigeri owns Expo Ease and Gaia Flowers in Las Vegas.
