News & Updates: California Becomes 2nd State in the Nation to Adopt Mandatory Sick Leave for Employees under the “Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014”

As the news has reported and most employers in California have now heard, last month California became the second state in the nation to require paid sick leave to employees under AB 1522, the “Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014” (“the Act”). The effective date for employers to begin providing paid sick leave is July 1, 2015.

The Act applies to all private and public employers, regardless of size. The basic requirements are that the new law will require that employees in California (subject to four exceptions) who on or after July 1, 2015, work in California for 30 or more days within a year from starting employment, will be entitled to three paid sick days (or 24 hours) per year, accrued at the rate of one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and subject to a cap of six days or 48 hours. Out-of-state employees are also covered by the Act if they work 30 days within a year in California.

There are a number of nuances to the Act that even employers who already provide paid sick leave to their employees will need to be aware of and review. Among other things, there will be specific notice requirements (including both a notice with each paycheck and a written notice to new employees), a posting requirement, recordkeeping, and specific requirements regarding calculating the rate of pay for sick pay. Employers will need to be ready to comply with the new law by July 1, 2015.

You can find more information on the new Act at Folger Levin’s Guide to the California Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 here.