How Mandatory Paid Time Off is Stressing Out Illinois Businesses

Doug Knight’s family has owned the Springfield amusement park called “Knight’s Action Park” for a long time – 43 years in total! His family has been in charge since 1930.

The pandemic was very tough for Mr. Knight- he had to try hard to keep his business running and when it temporarily closed due to COVID-19, he did everything he could to reopen as soon as possible. Also, inflation made things worse; the prices of all the items needed for his business – like inner tubes and pool chlorine – were going up more and more, making it difficult. Now, a new law in Illinois is making things even harder for him and other owners.

On Monday, Illinois became one of three states in the US to make it a rule for companies to give their workers paid days off when they need them, up to 40 hours per year if they’re full-time employees. Some small business owners in Illinois aren’t too happy with this rule because they think it’s an extra burden on them.

“When you have a really hard time, what happens then?”, said Knight.

This new law will start on January 1st, 2024. For every 40 hours you work, you get one hour of paid leave up to a total of 40 hours. After working for 90 days, you can start using this time off.

Knight and his brother owned a business that employed many seasonal workers who were not included in the policy. However, they 10 permanent employees who will get paid leave. Knight thought customers would pay for this change but other people think that it’s good because it helps both employers and workers to have a stronger workforce.

Molly Weston Williamson, who works at the Center for American Progress, suggested that if people have paid time off then they can stay home when they’re sick. She also said that business owners shouldn’t worry about how the law may create financial burdens in these tough economic times as Chicago and Cook County have had similar laws since 2017 without any major consequences.

In other words, since people will get sicker if they don’t have these benefits and it will cost us money to help out those who lost their jobs, we need to provide them with these benefits so our economy won’t be impacted in a bad way.

Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth from Peoria just made a new law that helps low-wage workers, especially since those workers are usually Black, Latino, and women who cannot afford paid time off. The new law means that employees now have the assurance that they can take some days off to take care of themselves without worrying about losing their jobs.

Christell Frausto, who owns TequilaRia Wine and Spirits in Peoria, thinks paid leave is a great idea for businesses. She is 38 years old and she still makes sure that her employees have flexible time-off for emergencies, sickness or personal events. Two years ago she opened the store which only sells specialty products that are made by women and it also offers organic, gluten-free, or low-calorie options.

The pandemic showed us that businesses must take good care of their workers, said Frausto. She believes it will give business owners enough time to plan and get ready for the new law when it comes in.

Frausto considers her team as part of herself and puts effort into having a balance of life and work for them.

Sandy and Dave Schoenborn, owners of the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville, Illinois, are very worried about a state law. Sandy said that employees should earn paid leave instead of expecting it for free. She is especially concerned because if her staff all take the same day off due to this new law, she will be in a lot of trouble with a busy event coming up.

Knight, the Springfield amusement park owner, said that he tries to be kind to his employees. He allows them to take a day off without pay if there is an important reason for it like their car breaking down or taking their pet to the vet. However, Knight does not allow employees to have time off if they just want to go somewhere else, such as seeing a concert.

The pandemic, inflation and increasing costs for utilities like electricity are making it harder and harder for business owners. Paying for mandatory paid leave is just adding to the problem.

“This means the costs go up, which makes prices higher so that the customers have to pay more,” Knight said.

Someone called Savage works with a group called Report For America which helps place journalists in local areas to write stories about important topics that are not often covered.