Although it may feel like there’s a new labor law posting every year (or every month, depending on the number of states you operate in), it’s really not that often that employers are required to post an entirely new notice. When employment rights are changed under the law, often an existing state-required posting can be revised to include the new information. Occasionally, however, a new labor law is expansive enough that it requires its own posting in order to fully inform employees of their rights and responsibilities.
Such is the case with Arizona’s new Earned Paid Sick Time requirement. Although passed into law hand-in-hand with a scheduled minimum wage increase under the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act, the paid sick leave mandate has a different effective date and generates an entirely new list of rights and responsibilities for employers and employees to learn. The new Arizona Earned Paid Sick Leave posting provides information on the provisions of the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act which govern an employee’s right to accrue and use earned paid sick time.
Beginning July 1, 2017, employees are entitled to accrue a minimum of 1 hour of earned paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Employers who have 15 or more employees must allow employees to accrue and use 40 hours of earned paid sick time per year, while employers who have fewer than 15 employees are only required to provide 24 hours of earned paid sick time per year for each employee. (Employers may determine their own “year” period, so long as it is comprised of a regular and consecutive twelve-month period.)
Employees may use earned paid sick time for themselves or to care for a family member, in circumstances involving: (1) medical care for mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; (2) a public health emergency; and (3) absence due to domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking. Employers are prohibited from discriminating or subjecting any person to retaliation for asserting any right under the Fair Wages and Health Families Act, including requesting or using earned paid sick time; for assisting any person in asserting their rights under the Act; and for informing any person of their rights under the Act.
In addition to the above, the Earned Paid Sick Time posting informs employees of their right to file a complaint with the Industrial Commission’s Labor Department, or to file a civil action against an employer who has violated the Act. It also tells employees how to obtain more information about the Act, and how to contact the Labor Department.
Due to the creation of this new mandatory posting, we here at CPC have redesigned our Arizona All-On-One™ Poster so that it truly is all-on-one, comprising all mandatory-to-post State, Federal, and OSHA postings for the state of Arizona – including the new Earned Sick and Safe Time posting. Employers are advised to replace their Arizona All-On-One™ Poster by July 1, 2017 to ensure that it is fully compliant with Arizona law. The Arizona Mobile Poster Pak™ has also been updated to ensure full compliance with posting requirements under the new law.