President Obama Pays A Visit To Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The president in Baltimore. The commander-in-chief sits down with three local women at a restaurant to talk about his plans for paid sick leave for Americans across the board.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the president's plan and what else he's doing in town.
Shock for the lunch crowd at a North Baltimore restaurant. The unexpected guest: President Barack Obama.
"We've had a great conversation about the announcements I'm making today and that I'll amplify in the State of the Union," the president said.
Charmington's owner, Amanda Rothschild, said she knew a V.I.P. guest was coming. She didn't know it would be the president.
"I knew I would be meeting with some official about paid sick leave. Turned out it was the president," said Rothschild.
The president had lunch at the restaurant to discuss the Healthy Families Act—a push to provide paid sick leave to workers and small businesses.
READ: Obama Talks To Local Women About Work-Life Balance
"When they make that investment in their employees, it pays dividends because the employees are more productive, there's lower turnover, there's greater productivity and in fact both large and small companies as it turns out end up being more profitable in the long term because typically any organization and certainly businesses are going to be as good as their people," Obama said.
Senator Barbara Mikulski was also at the lunch, supporting the president's paid sick leave plan.
"Families have two things on their mind: how can they have more money in their checkbook and pocketbook and at the same time how can they have more time, particularly at a time of crisis or illness," Sen. Mikulski said.
The presidential visit is giving Amanda Rothschild hope that the act could be passed.
"I hope that this bodes good changes in the future for the way that the country views employees and the health of the people that do so much hard work in the country," Rothschild said.
Now, she just hopes the president will be able to push the policy through Congress.
The White House says more than 40 million U.S. workers in the private sector do not have paid sick leave.
The president will release details next month on how he plans to pay for the $2 billion proposal.
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