Back in June we reported on the passage of the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, which requires employers to provide workers with earned leave for the purpose of seeking assistance with health or safety issues for themselves or a family member. Minneapolis was the first city in the Midwest to pass a sick time ordinance, although it was quickly followed by its fellow Minnesota city St. Paul.
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights has already released the required notice informing employees of their rights under the law, allowing Minneapolis employers plenty of time to obtain and post a copy before the law goes into effect on July 1, 2017. Every employer with 1 or more employees is required to post this notice in English and, if published by the Department, in any language spoken by at least 5% of the workforce. (At present the English-language version is the only posting required, as it is the only version currently published by the Department. We will continue checking in with the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights to ensure we stay up to date with all published translations.)
Sick and safe time must be granted to all employees (including part-time workers, paid interns, and temporary staff) who work more than 80 hours within Minneapolis city limits. Time off, accrued at a rate of 1 hour of sick and safe time off for every 30 hours worked, must be paid (at customary rate and benefits) if an organization or employer has 5 or more employees. (Employers with fewer than 5 employees may offer the time off unpaid.) Employees may use their sick and safe time for needs related to the medical health, mental health, or physical safety of themselves or a family member, including the closure of the employee’s place of business for public health reasons or the closure of a family member’s school or place of care due to inclement weather.
The Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time poster contains necessary information pertaining to the ordinance, including the effective date, the rights and responsibilities of both employer and employee under the law, and information on how to file a complaint with to the City of Minneapolis Labor Standards Enforcement Division.
You can buy a full-color, Poly Vinyl copy of the poster on our website here, or contact your compliance advisor for more information. You can also download a checklist from the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights to make sure you’re fully prepped for when the ordinance goes into effect next year.