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Florida Governor Rick Scott handed the organized business lobby a victory today, and the losers are workers, local governments and the fundamental principle of democracy in Florida. The law he signed prohibits all localities in the state from establishing paid sick days standards. The governor’s refusal to prioritize the will or well-being of the people makes the Sunshine State the most recent victim of an underhanded and coordinated effort to harm workers and thwart the democratic process. Similar bills or laws now exist in at least 13 states.

That these so-called “preemption” laws are advancing at a time when support for paid sick days is strong and growing is no coincidence — and it only strengthens our commitment to expanding access to this basic right. America’s workers and families want and need paid sick days and other family friendly workplace standards that enable them to meet the demands of job and family without sacrificing their health or economic security. Laws like this one only make the need for national standards, like the Healthy Families Act, stronger.

Read more on the preemption trend generated by paid sick days opponents here.