The New Year will usher in several new Illinois employment laws. These laws cover a myriad of topics and will require revisions to employee handbooks and general employment policies.
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San Francisco Ordinance Requires Employers to Provide Paid Public Health Emergency Leave
San Francisco employers will soon be required to comply with an additional Ordinance providing San Francisco-based employees with paid leave during future public health emergencies. In the June 7, 2022 election, San Francisco voters passed Proposition G. It requires employers with 100 or more employees worldwide to provide up to 80 hours of paid public health emergency leave to San Francisco-based employees. The Ordinance will become operative on October 1, 2022.
Reminder: San Francisco’s Family Friendly Workplace Amended Ordinance Takes Effect July 2022
On July 13, 2022, San Francisco’s amended Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance (FFWO) goes into effect. All employers who conduct business and have employees working in the City and County of San Francisco or employees who telework, will need to comply with the FFWO. It gives employees the right to request “flexible or predictable work arrangements” to assist with caregiving responsibilities. The amendment creates significant changes to the existing FFWO – it enlarges the scope of an employer’s obligation under the ordinance, while also making it easier for employees to obtain modified schedule arrangements so they can effectively work and perform their caregiving responsibilities with relative ease. Covered employers should take note of these changes to avoid scrutiny from the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) and costlier penalties.
2021 California Legislative Update: California’s New Employment Laws
To close out the 2021 legislative season, Governor Gavin Newsom signed dozens of bills into law, many of which directly affect California employers. In addition to the coverage in prior blog posts, which are linked below, this article provides an overview of key new employment laws.
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Labor Commissioner Issues FAQs for Supplemental COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law
In a prior article, we explained Senate Bill 95, which requires employers with more than 25 employees in California to provide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick leave. You can read it here. SB 95 creates California Labor Code Sections 248.2 and 248.3. It goes into effect on March 29, 2021, and applies retroactively to January 1, 2021. This new COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law allows covered employees to take up to an additional 80 hours of paid COVID-19 related sick leave.
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California Enacts Expansive, Retroactive Supplemental COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law
Beginning on March 29, 2021, Senate Bill 95 will place additional requirements on employers to provide supplemental paid sick leave to employees impacted by COVID-19. The bill, which was approved by the legislature on March 18, 2021, and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on March 19, 2021, creates California Labor Code Sections 248.2 and 248.3. SB 95 dramatically expands the number of employees eligible for COVID-19 paid sick leave, expands the reasons an employee may take paid sick leave, and applies retroactively to January 1, 2021, which will require some employers who previously granted employees unpaid leave for COVID-19 related reasons to retroactively compensate those employees. Therefore, every employer in California should review SB 95 carefully.
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California Employers Should Be Aware of Updates to Leave Requirements
The Ninth Circuit and the California legislature recently updated employer leave requirements, impacting California employers. The Ninth Circuit recently handed down two decisions regarding leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), including a decision concerning what constitutes a “workweek” for FMLA purposes. Additionally, as of January 1, 2021, smaller employers in California will have to grant 12 weeks of leave under the California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”). Employers should consider these changes as they update their leave policies, especially as employees may take more extended leaves during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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New York Department of Labor Significantly Expands COVID-19 Quarantine Leave
On January 20, 2021 – nearly a year after the law’s effective date – the New York Department of Labor (“NYDOL”) issued new guidance (the “Guidance”) for employers regarding the scope of available sick leave for employees subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 (“Quarantine Leave”). The Guidance creates new obligations for employers in New York and clarifies certain limitations on Quarantine Leave. It is also intended to supplement other guidance previously issued by the NYDOL, which remains in effect.
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New Year, New Rules: New York Employees May Begin Taking Paid Sick Leave January 1, 2021
The New York State Paid Sick Leave law (“NYSPSL”) and the amendments to the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave law (“ESSTA”) expanding employees’ paid sick leave entitlements
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New Employment Laws to Look Out for in 2021
On January 1, 2021, various new and amended employment laws will go into effect in California. Below is a summary of some of these laws that employers should make themselves aware of heading into the new year. All laws discussed in this post go into effect on January 1, 2021, unless otherwise noted.
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NYC Employers Take Note: Earned Sick and Safe Time Act Amendments Take Effect September 30, 2020
On September 28, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill into law significantly amending the New York City Earned Sick and Safe Time Act (“ESSTA”) in order to better align with New York State’s new paid sick leave law (the “NYS Leave Law”). Like its state law counterpart, the amendments to ESSTA (the “ESSTA Amendments”) takes effect on September 30, 2020. As discussed in greater detail below, the ESSTA Amendments: (i) revise the amount of leave that New York City employers are required to provide; (ii) impose new employer reporting requirements; (iii) create new employer reimbursement obligations in connection with requested medical documentation and/or documentation regarding domestic violence; (iv) expand the scope of prohibited retaliation under the law; (v) impose new notice requirements; and (vi) expand enforcement mechanisms.
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