Letters: Councilman needs a business reality check

Councilman William K. Greenlee really doesn't get it ("Paid sick leave bill back on Philadelphia Council calendar," May 27).

I own two businesses in Center City, and am struggling to stay above water. The economy is still in recession, and Greenlee is proposing paid sick days for all private-sector employees in the city.

He says that "if sick days are good enough for government employees and the Comcasts of the world, then everyone should be entitled."

Well, look at what has happened in the public sector. The city is broke. It can't pay its bills. Nevertheless, Greenlee wants to burden small-business owners with government-style entitlements.

Paid sick days quickly morph into vacation days. And what's to stop a new employee from starting a job, taking those paid sick days, then quitting? This is not a "minor burden" to employers.

If this bill passes, it will force small-business owners to either lay off employees or cut back their hours.

Greenlee and others like him could get a genuine perspective on the reality of business ownership by leaving the safe harbor of government employment and opening a small business.

Kevin Cattie

Chadds Ford