Minneapolis Approve Paid Sick Leave

The city of Minneapolis approves 'landmark' Paid Sick Leave law.

All businesses, big and small, will now be required to offer their employees paid sick leave, effective 1 July 2017.

Under the law employees are entitled to use accrued sick and safe time beginning ninety (90) calendar days following commencement of their employment.

Under the law employees accrue a minimum of one hour of sick and safe time for every thirty (30) hours worked up to a maximum of forty-eight (48) hours in a calendar year. Employees may not accrue more than forty- eight (48) hours of accrued sick and safe time in a calendar year unless the employer agrees to a higher amount.

Exempt employees are deemed to work forty (40) hours in each work week for purposes of accruing sick and safe time, except that such an employee whose normal work week is less than forty (40) hours will accrue sick and safe time based upon the employee’s normal work week.

Employers must permit an employee to carry-over up to eighty (80) hours accrued but unused sick and safe time to the following calendar year.

Sick and safe time under this chapter begins to accrue at the commencement of employment of the employee or this chapter’s effective date, whichever is later.

An employer’s business size for the current calendar year is based upon the average number of employees per week during the previous calendar year.

For a new business, the employer’s business size for the current calendar year is based upon the average number of employees per week during the first ninety (90) days after its first employee began work.

In determining the number of employees, all persons performing work for compensation on a full- time, part-time or temporary basis shall be counted, whether or not the persons work in the city.

Employees jointly employed by two (2) employers must be counted by both employers, whether or not maintained on one of the employer’s payroll in determining an employer’s business size.

In those cases in which a professional employer organization is determined to be a joint employer of a client employer’s employees, the client employer would only be required to count employees of the professional employer organization, or employees of other clients of the professional employer organization, if the client employer jointly employed those employees.

Penalties for alleged first violations arising during the first twelve (12) months following the effective date of this law, the Department must only mediate disputes and issue warnings and notices to correct.

After that period fines could range from granting employees  sick leave credit, fines of $1,500 per offence and fines of $50 per day.

Sources:
Chapter 40 - Workplace Regulations

By Bill Williams