Last year, a northern California congresswoman proposed legislation for a mandatory 10 days of worker sick leave. I thought five sick days was sufficient. Nevertheless, I voted to support the bill in opposition to the unanimous will of our state pest management association.

In southern California, we have workers who regularly go to Mexico for health care because their employers don’t provide it. Our pest management industry workers fight environmental hazards every day, while fighting off illness, and delay critical medical care because they're not provided sick pay.  

The positive American value that "we can achieve anything if we work hard enough" has degenerated to a survivalist mentality that workers should pull themselves up even when they’ve been dragged down by a lack of the same consideration and planning for employee welfare as employer profit. 

There are exceptional employers with exceptional benefit plans in the pest management industry, but they're too often the exception that makes the rule.

Now, our state trade association is up in arms due to a proposal to make it easy to attain union membership.What did you expect? Government legislation in medical care and unionization historically happened largely as a backdrop to excessively oppressive management practices. 

In economically fragile times, workers and employers feel vulnerable. The proper response should not be aggressive opposition to all pro-worker legislation. This simply contributes to excessively pro-worker policies.

We cannot achieve environmental stewardship goals with a hostile workforce. Yet, that's exactly what we have when we stand in opposition to basic needs that we'd never want to deny ourselves as owners and managers. Pest management industry leaders should not seek blue or red agendas, but rather reach a compromise that builds bridges between workers and management for a win-win future. 

Leadership, the American way, means leaving something on the bone for everyone: a living wage, sick pay, adequate, affordable medical coverage, maybe even some vacation time.

Is the pest management industry ready to lead?

You can reach Weitz, management/technology consultant and PMP with Hearts Pest Management, through his Web site at www.heartspm.com.