
Reacting to this opposition, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges indicated that city officials need more time to consider alternatives to the current proposal that promote greater scheduling predictability for employees but are also workable for businesses.
Despite setting aside their predictability pay proposal, it appears the mayor and city council members will continue to push for paid sick leave. Under the current proposal, workers of a Minneapolis-based business would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. For smaller businesses, workers could earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year, while employees of businesses with at least 20 employees could earn up to 72 hours of paid sick leave per year. President Obama has proposed similar paid sick time rights, and he recently signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to provide paid sick time on a similar schedule (see http://nypost.com/2015/09/07/obama-pushes-paid-sick-leave-for-all-workers/).
While paid sick leave may be helpful to those workers who
are not currently entitled to such time off, the city’s proposal will certainly
add additional costs for small employers. The requirements will also likely
increase lawsuits against employers—particularly if the final legislation
includes a provision providing attorneys’ fees to a successful plaintiff.
Whatever you think of the proposal, it seems like an
important time for employers and employees to become engaged in the political
process to ensure that various perspectives are heard.
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