On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Corona Virus Response Act. The Families First Act requires small and midsized employers to provide paid sick leave benefits and expanded FMLA leave to employees needing time away from work due to COVID-19 reasons. While the Act provide others benefits, the FMLA Expansion Act and
Leave of Absence
House Passes Bill to Amend FMLA for COVID-19 Related Leaves of Absence
On March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and Emergency Paid Leave Act of 2020. The Bills, if passed by the Senate, will provide: paid sick leave and unemployment benefits to employees taking leave as a result of COVID-19; expand FMLA eligibility and qualifying reasons for taking…
Getting Ready for the Dallas Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
Last week I had an opportunity to speak to 55 executives and HR professionals about the Dallas Paid Sick Leave Ordinance. Thank you Gus Bates Insurance and Investments for putting on a great Lunch and Learn event.
Effective August 1, 2019, and being enforced beginning April 1, 2020, employers with employees performing at least 80…
City of Dallas Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Scheduled to Take Effect August 1, 2019
The City of Dallas passed a paid sick leave ordinance requiring private employers to provide up to 64 hours of paid sick leave to employees working in the City. Barring court intervention, the law will take effect August 1, 2019. Here are the highlights of the ordinance:
- Requires employers with 15 or more employees to
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Employers in Dallas and San Antonio Prepare for Paid Sick Leave
The Texas Legislature ended its session last week without passing a bill that preempts municipalities from passing laws requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave to employees. Consequently, employers in Dallas and San Antonio must prepare for the implementation of the local paid sick leave laws that take effect August 1, 2019.
Dallas, San…
Austin Passes Law Requiring Private Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave
This month the City of Austin passed the State’s first municipal paid sick leave ordinance requiring private employers to provide earned sick time to employees. Beginning on October 1, 2018 (and October 1, 2020 for employers with five or fewer employees), employers with employees working in the City of Austin must provide employees with earned sick time.
Continue Reading Austin Passes Law Requiring Private Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave
EEOC Publishes Resource on Employer-Provided Leave and the Americans with Disabilities Act
This week the EEOC published a resource document intended to provide guidance on providing disabled employees with leave of absence as a reasonable accommodation.
According to the Commission,
[It] continues to receive charges indicating that some employers may be unaware of Commission positions about leave and the ADA. For example, some employers may not know
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DOL Publishes The Employer’s Guide to the FMLA: And its Pretty Good!
Last week the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division published The Employer’s Guide to the FMLA. The Department intended the Guide to be an informational resource to “provide essential information about the FMLA” and increase employer’s knowledge of the law, obligations and options available to employers administering FMLA leave.
The Guide is…
HR Directors Beware: You Too Can be Sued for FMLA Violations
A recent case from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals should remind HR Directors (and supervisors) to be particularly vigilant in handling employee FMLA leaves of absence. In Graziadio v. Culinary Institute of America, the appellate court reversed a trial court victory for the employer and the two individual supervisors (one of whom was…
Delivery of FMLA Notices by First Class Mail Does Not Rule Out Disputes Over Receipt of Notice
The DOL regulations require FMLA-covered employers to provide various notices to employees. The regulations do not dictate how all of the notices must be delivered. Most employers utilize hand-delivery or regular U.S. mail for most pre-leave notices (eligibility and pre-leave designations) and use U.S. mail almost exclusively for post-leave notices (i.e., when the employee is already out…