The Wonk Room sat down with Rep. Rosa DeLauro to talk paid sick leave and the US Chamber of Commerce.  Said DeLauro:

[The Chamber of Commerce] is just ignoring the needs of a bulk of a workforce, people who get up every day, go to work, want to work, but you know what? They get sick. People get sick and to not have the opportunity to take a day or two days, nobody’s talking about two weeks…What we are trying to do is address the issue of 57 million people — who are hard-working people — who today have not one paid sick day.

What’s the Chamber’s position on paid sick leave?  Here’s their lead lobbyist on the issue:

”We are very worried about this legislation, because it can be demagogued so easily,” said Randel K. Johnson, vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits at the United States Chamber of Commerce. ”Some say, ‘What’s seven days of paid sick leave?’ My concern is it would never be just seven days. A year from now it will be 14 days, and then 21.”

Yes, heaven forbid not forcing workers to choose between being sick and losing their job.  We can thank the US Chamber for stopping us from sliding down this slippery slope.