MILWAUKEE - Should employers in Milwaukee be forced to give paid sick leave to their employees? That argument was before members of the Common Council Monday. Workers say it's a right they deserve. Employers say they can't afford it. The paid sick leave bill is a step closer to going on the November ballot. There was a passionate debate Monday between workers and employers just before a Common Council sub-committee passed it along for the full council to decide on. The debate over the proposed mandatory paid sick leave bill was so passionate it spilled over outside of the Common Council meeting room. Workers and business owners squared off over whether employers should be forced to foot the bill for their workers' sick days. “I believe all of us should have paid sick days to be able to use them when we need them, when we have sick parents because I have experienced that several times,” Elvina Sands said. A group of volunteers organized by the national group 9 to 5 went out and collected over 40,000 signatures of support of their plan. So many signatures, in fact, the Common Council can't ignore them. Their only choice Monday was either make the proposal law or send it to referendum. “We believe they can't afford not to have sick days. The truth of the matter is when workers come to work sick, they make other workers sick,” Amy Stear said. Business owners say they intend to fight it. “So what is going to happen is businesses will have to take something else away from their employee, whether it’s another benefit, it’s their vacation days get less, their wages get less something will come out of it,” small business owner Jamie Maliszewski said. The full council will decide on the measure next week. Advocates say if it becomes law in Milwaukee they will try to get it passed statewide.