Publication

Legal Alert – Additional Paid Sick Leave Requirements in Los Angeles

Apr 27, 2016

by Erin Leach

On April 19, 2016, the Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 to pass a motion that directs the City Attorney to draft an ordinance requiring employers to provide employees who work for them in the City of Los Angeles for 30 or more days within a year from the commencement of employment with 48 hours of paid sick leave per year. The ordinance will be modeled after California’s Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (the “Act”) but will provide employees with twice as much paid sick leave as required under the Act. According to a report issued by the City Council’s Economic Development Committee, the sick leave ordinance will require employers to provide 48 hours of leave per calendar year, either up front or accrued at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. In addition, the ordinance will require employers to allow employees to take sick leave to care for family members and will broadly define family members as “any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.” While accrual can be capped under the ordinance, paid sick leave accrual can be capped at 72 hours, rather than 48 hours as provided under the Act. However, for an employer who has a paid leave or paid time off policy or provides payment for compensated time off that is equal to or greater than 48 hours, no additional time is required.

[Read the full alert]

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