Ohio labor union officials say the paid sick day ballot initiative which will not appear on November's ballot will still benefit Democrats on Election Day because the idea of paid sick days has gained public support.

The labor and Democrat-backed initiative would have mandated most businesses to provide paid sick-day leave to its employees was met with fierce opposition from business interests and Republicans. Last week, the Service Employees International Union pulled the initiative off the ballot after Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland came out against the measure. Strickland said he feared a public fight over sick days would make Ohio look unattractive to out of state businesses.

However, Strickland told the SEIU and others backing the sick day initiative that he would support federal sick day legislation.

SEIU District 1199 political director Gloria Fauss said the initiative's removal from the ballot will not hurt turnout this Election Day.

"People who were not going to vote in a presidential year were not going to cast a ballot just because of the sick day initiative," she said.  "I certainly never believed that in a presidential year that this ballot issue was going to actually increase turnout."

Steve Chaffin, a central Ohio organizer for the liberal advocacy group Working Families Win said he was hoping the initiative would increase turnout, but thinks Barack Obama's campaign and congressional campaigns will keep turnout high nonetheless.

"I hope that something can be done either federally or statewide to give the workers some paid sick leave, but I don't think it'll have a significant impact on turnout," Chaffin said.

Fauss said that while the initiative is dead, support for the idea lives on and will still help Democrats who support federal sick-day legislation.

"I think being an advocate for paid sick days is more of a persuasion issue than a turnout issue," Fauss said.

Fauss said the SEIU and Ohioans for Healthy Families, another major supporter of the initiative, should tell voters what candidates back paid sick days because a Columbus Dispatch poll from last month showed the sick day initiative with 60 percent support.

In his convention acceptance speech, Barack Obama said he supported paid-sick days because people shouldn't have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or parent.

AFL-CIO spokesperson Michael Gillis said he expects labor turnout to be high because this and other economic issues are at the fore.

"In terms of labor turnout and 2008 elections go, I think there are an abundance of issues that we are looking at and will be energized by especially given the contest of the two candidates at the top of the ticket," he said.