Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires employers to give sick time off to their employees.

Highlights:

• Defines "earned sick and safe time" as leave, including​ paid time off and other paid leave systems, that is paid at the same hourly rate as an employee​ earns from employment that may be used for the same purposes and under the same​ conditions as provided (Sec. 2-4).

• Establishes an employee returning from a leave of absence​ is entitled to return to employment in the employee's former position​ or a position of comparable duties, number of hours, and pay. An employee returning​ from a leave of absence longer than one month must notify a supervisor at least two weeks​ before return from leave (Sec. 1.a).

• Specifies if the employer experiences a​ layoff and the employee would have lost a position had the employee not been on leave,​ according to the good-faith operation of a bona fide layoff and recall system, including a​ system under a collective bargaining agreement, the employee is not entitled to reinstatement​ in the former or comparable position (Sec. 1.b).

• Specifies if the need for use is foreseeable, an employer may​ require advance notice of the intention to use earned sick and safe time but must not require​ more than seven days advance notice. If the need is unforeseeable, an employer may require​ an employee to give notice of the need for earned sick and safe time as soon as practicable (Sec. 4-2).​

• Authorizes an employer to opt to satisfy the requirements for construction industry employees by doing the following (Sec. 5.d):​

• Paying at least the prevailing wage rate as calculated​ by the Department of Labor and Industry; or​

• Paying at least the required rate established in a registered apprenticeship agreement​ for apprentices registered with the Department of Labor and Industry.​

• Requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to issue an order​ requiring an employer to comply if the violation is repeated.​ A violation is repeated if at any time during the two​ years that preceded the date of violation, the commissioner issued an order to the employer​ for violation and the order is final or the commissioner and the employer have entered into a settlement agreement that required the employer to pay​ back wages (Article 2, Sec. 2).

• Specifies if an employer is found by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to have​ violated a section of this law and​ the commissioner issues an order to comply, the commissioner will order the employer to​ desist from engaging in the violative practice and to take such affirmative steps​ that in the judgment of the commissioner will effectuate the purposes of the section or rule​ violated (Article 2, Sec. 3).

• Authorizes the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to make grants to​ community organizations for outreach to and education for employees​ regarding their rights. The community-based​ organizations must be selected based on their experience, capacity, and relationships in​ high-violation industries. The work under such a grant may include the creation and​ administration of a statewide worker hotline (Article 2, Sec. 4-4).​

• Establishes it is the responsibility of all employers to not​ enter into any contract or agreement for labor or services where the employer has any actual​ knowledge or knowledge arising from familiarity with the normal facts and circumstances​ of the business activity engaged in or has any additional facts or information that, taken together, would make a reasonably prudent person undertake to inquire whether, taken​ together, the contractor is not complying or has failed to comply (Article 2, Sec. 4-6).

Full Bill Text