The wide-reaching ordinance affects more workers than you might expect.
Paid Sick Leave Rears Its Ugly Head in Minneapolis
A “landmark measure” that
could spell bad news for small business is coming to Minneapolis, as Mayor
Betsy Hodges told MinnPost.
A 13-person city council
unanimously approved a paid sick leave measure on May 27, paving the way for
workers to begin accruing sick leave on July 1, 2017, according to MinnPost. Minneapolis
is the first city in Minnesota to approve a paid leave policy. Contrary to what
occurred in Minneapolis, a controversial paid family leave bill big on new
taxes for both employers and employees was recently defeated at the
legislature.
The ordinance affects
businesses with six or more employees and mandates that employees get one hour
of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Paid time off is capped at 48
hours per year, but unused time may roll over to the following year until an
employee has 80 unused hours, according to the ordinance.
Business advocates have decried
similar paid leave bills at
the state level for being costly and onerous for employers, and many worry that
the city ordinance will have a similar impact. Business owners who aren’t in
compliance with the law would face financial penalties, beginning with
recouping wages lost during an employee’s unpaid leave. Subsequent offenses
would result in additional fines, MinnPost reported.
The ordinance also extends
beyond workers within city limits, applying to employees who travel into the
city to work, such as delivery drivers. But these employees must work at least
80 hours within Minneapolis’ city limits to be eligible for paid sick leave
from an employer.
City council members said
they hope other cities in the state will follow Minneapolis’ lead and implement
their own paid sick leave policies, according to MinnPost.
