This is probably the most insane thing SF has done, maybe ever. And that is saying A LOT.
What this article does not mention is that the sick time accrued must be payable to an employee whether he uses the sick time or not. Therefore ALL businesses in SF now must pay sick time cash (at the end of the year) to employees whether or not they use it. This means that if you hire ANYONE, you at least owe them this extra cash each year.
What will this mean? Here's my prediction:
- The cost of EVERYTHING will rise in an already insanely expensive city.
- Due to the high costs, more Mom and Pop shops will shut down or just not hire people.
- Related to the above point, those small businesses that stay around will most likely only have family members as employees. Therefore more children will be put to work. I started at 13 in my family business. More kids at work means less kids in school or studying.
- Since small businesses will not be able to employ as many people, there will be more homeless. But SF loves homeless people. Maybe that's why they passed this.
- Small businesses that stay around by cutting staff will now be open less often, and therefore all customers pay a price by losing services.
- Bigger chain stores will be the only ones who can absorb this extra cost.
- Bigger chain stores (who now get more vacant property to choose from due to small shops closing) move in and get to bargain on their rents, therefore brining land values down in SF. I saw this happen when all the dot-bombs crashed.
- More people will be over worked since no one else will get hired due to this law and their ridiculously high minimum wage.
- The higher costs of living will force more people to live outside of SF if their jobs are in SF. This will increase the number of commuters. Isn't SF supposed to be a GREEN city?
- Lawyers will have a feast with this idiotic law. More businesses will shut down.
I can understand the heart or emotions being the start of many ideas, but these ideas must pass through the brain and some logic, else you end up with some really bad results. This one is one of the biggest messes ever.