The party instead endorsed Controller William Thompson, who supports paid sick leave for every worker in New York, regardless of the size of their company.

This is becoming a litmus-test issue for progressive groups in New York, after the Drum Major Institute released a report saying 1 million New Yorkers can't take a paid day off if they get sick -- which the group says increases the risk of spreading swine flu this fall.

Earlier this month, 35 Council members introduced a bill requiring paid sick leave for all workers -- but Council Speaker Christine Quinn has declined to take a stand on it.

Neither did Bloomberg today. Asked at an unrelated event whether he supports paid sick leave, in light of a report that 90,000 Americans could die of swine flu, he ducked the question twice:

Q: "There's a report that up to 90,000 Americans will die of swine flu this fall and winter. Does this increase the pressure to pass a paid sick leave bill in New York City?"

Bloomberg: "I don't know. What's the normal death rate from flu in this country?"

Q: "Less than that, I'd imagine."

Bloomberg: "Well, I don't know that. It's 2,000 in New York City alone. So until you get the facts, I'd be happy to, you know, answer the question. But I just, only in context -- one person dying is one person too many, but flu kills. This flu has so far been an exceptionally mild version of the flu attacking almost no seniors, which is very uncharacteristic of flu. So nobody knows what's going to happen. There are estimates that half the people in the country have already had the flu. I just, I have no idea. In most cases, what you should do is cover your mouth and nose if you're starting to sneeze or cough. Stay home if you get sick. But most of the doctors say that most of the people that have gotten the flu, or many of them, never even had a fever or knew that they had it. So speculating on what's going to happen down the road, I can't do. Last question."

Q: "You've supported paid sick leave for some employers."

Bloomberg: "That has nothing to do with it. Flu is not the reason you need people to be able to go to the doctor, generally. That's not the serious thing. There are plenty of other things that affect people much more serious and their children during the year. That's what we should be talking about."

UPDATE: Bloomberg press secretary Stu Loeser angrily insists the mayor is not backing away from support for paid sick leave. While Bloomberg does not believe swine flu is a reason to implement paid sick leave, Loeser said, he will work with the City Council to find a plan he can support.

“He is not walking this back one bit,” Loeser said. “He supports (paid sick leave for) big companies, and has questions about small companies. The question is, what is a big company?"