PTO - Is Mandatory Sick Leave in Your Future?
Posted by Nancy Saperstone on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 @ 10:18 AM
It may be if bills pending in the U. S. Congress become law.
House and Senate bills, currently pending, require employers with 15 or more employees to grant 1 hour of paid
sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a max of 56 hours (7 days)
per year. Workers would begin to accrue sick leave from their first day
of employment and would be eligible to use the leave after completing
60 days service. The Healthy Families Act (S. 1152) is sponsored by
Senators Kennedy and Dodd and Congresswoman DeLauro.
The bill would allow an employee to carry over
accrued sick leave to the next calendar year, but total sick leave at
any time would be capped at 56 hours.
Acceptable uses of sick leave would be:
- employee's own sickness;
- parents' or children's illnesses;
- healthcare provider visits for specific problems;
- preventive care;
- healthcare needs related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
For more than 3 consecutive days of sick leave, an employer could require certification of an employee's need.
How would passage of this bill affect your
business? Would your employee policies around PTO change? Are you in
support of this law?