The city of Pittsburgh, PA has passed an ordinance requiring employers to provide paid or unpaid sick time to their employees working in the City. The Paid Sick Days Act will become effective January 11, 2016. Like other paid sick leave laws adopted across the nation, this local law was passed to reduce the spread of disease and to provide employees with time to care for themselves and family members.
In accordance with the Paid Sick Days Act, employers with 15 or more employees must provide employees with no more than 40 hours of paid sick time in a year. Employers with 15 employees or less must provide employees with no more than 24 hours of unpaid sick time the first year after the Ordinance’s effective date. Thereafter, employees working for employers with 15 employees or less are entitled to accrue up to 24 hours of paid sick time per year.
All employees will begin to accrue sick time on January 11, 2016 or their date of hire, whichever is later. Employees may use sick time beginning on the 90th day after the start of their employment. Accrued time must be carried over the following year, except when an employer provides paid sick time at the beginning of each calendar year. Employees will have the option to use their sick time in smaller hourly increments or the smallest increment that the employer’s payroll system uses to account for absences or use of other time. If they are absent for three consecutive days, his or her employer may request a doctor’s note. Employers are prohibited from retaliating or discriminating against an employee for exercising his or her rights protected under the Act.
Employers with employees working in the City should review their sick leave policy to comply with the new law. Employers are responsible for providing a written notice of the rights afforded under the Ordinance. Employers must also post the two notices issued by the Controller’s Office, which have been combined in our Pittsburgh Paid Sick Time Poster. The poster must be displayed on or before January 11, 2016. Violating the notice requirements may result in fines of up to $100 for each violation.