The researchers, W. Mark Crain and Joseph M. Johnson, concentrated their study solely on American manufaturing and used data from the year 2000, so we’re almost ten years removed from their benchmark. Still, it’s interesting to see that government regulations do carry a price tag, though many would argue that most regulations are virtually cost neutral and, if not, result in an overall gain for the company, the employees and the American workplace in general.

I’m not here to argue for or against government regulations in general, but I’m not of the mindset of “the more, the merrier.” I think there comes a point for each business when it says, “Enough is enough,” and decides to do things differently. You know, outsource, ship manufacturing overseas, lay people off to save costs, and all those nasty little things that somehow get blamed on NAFTA by certain sectors of the body politic.

Keep this in mind as the new administration and heavily Democratic Congress contemplate a wide expansion of labor law rights and protections.

Here’s how the president-elect’s Web site (Change.Gov) explained this:

Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year.

I believe sick leave is an essential component of the workplace, but I can also see how a small business might suffer if it had to add additional expenses, such as hiring a temp when someone calls in sick.

Either way, there’s an interesting pro-and-con (and neutral) debate over at Business Week.