A bill was proposed by an Ohio lawmarker that could require retailers open on Thanksgiving to pay workers triple wages or give employees the day off without repercussions.
Democratic Rep. Mike Foley, from Cleveland, said the idea for this proposed legislation began stirring last year when he got a call from a Cincinnati woman who said both she and her 82-year-old mother had been scheduled to work their retail jobs on Thanksgiving, reported The Associated Press.
Foley decided to take action and propose the bill this year shortly after looking through circulars with his wife one morning, noticing many retailers pushing their Black Friday start times into the early evening Thursday night.
"It's a disturbing, creeping trend," Foley said to Cleveland. "There are some days in the year where you should just be able to chill out and not have to worry about the whole consumeristic, commercial world."
Although many Americans agree that a bill such as Foley's could help the retail workers who are being taken away from their families, it's unlikely that the bill will get through the state's Republican-controlled legislature.
The bill also has business owners against it.
Gordon Gough, president and CEO of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, said the group disagrees with the bill because other businesses such as some restaurants and gas stations have always been open on Thanksgiving and would not be included in this law if passed.
"We would be opposed to the triple pay for retail employees, which would be discriminatory," he said to AP. "There are many industries that are open on Thanksgiving."
