By Ian Duncan and Christi Parsons
Baltimore Sun, Jan 15, 2015
President Barack Obama surprised lunchtime diners at a Baltimore cafe Thursday with an unannounced stop to promote a proposal to guarantee paid sick leave for millions more American workers. After lunch at Charmington's in Remington, the president said families should not have to choose between their health and a paycheck.
In a launch that recalled his campaign last year to raise the minimum wage, he signed an order Thursday to give six weeks of paid maternity or paternity leave to federal employees, and called on Congress to pass a law that would guarantee seven days of paid sick leave for workers at businesses with at least 15 employees. …
The president's approach to paid leave draws heavily on his experience over the past year of talking up the minimum wage.
Obama rolled out that proposal in the 2014 State of the Union address, in which he asked Congress to raise workers' base pay from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. He signed an executive order raising the wage for people working on federal service contracts and set off on a speaking tour to promote the idea for other workers. A year later, Congress has yet to increase the wage. But the idea has gained momentum, and 17 states and the District of Columbia have taken action on their own. ...
Obama's economic team argues that family-friendly policies are good for business because they reduce worker turnover, encourage higher productivity and boost investors' perceptions of the value of a firm. The White House cites several studies to support its argument, including an analysis of more than 700 firms that found that companies with work-life balance policies saw higher productivity. ...
Obama dined at Charmington's with Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and three other women. The cafe gives its employees paid leave when they're sick, according to one of the co-owners, and the business runs better because of it. ...
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