Just in case you missed it, today was the effective date of Elizabeth’s Paid Sick Leave law.  The law applies to all employers in Elizabeth.  Employees are eligible for paid sick leave if they work 80 hours per year in Elizabeth.

Under the law, employers with 10 or more employees must provide up to 40 hours per year of paid sick leave.  If the employer has less than 10 employees, then the employer must provide up to 24 hours of leave.

Leave may be taken for the following reasons:

  • An employee’s own health condition, including doctor’s appointments to diagnose or care for an illness
  • Care of a family member’s health condition, including doctor’s appointments to diagnose or care for an illness
  • Closure of employee’s place of business, employee’s child’s school or day care due to a public health emergency, or to care for a family member who has been quarantined.

41763450_sFamily members are broadly defined and include children (including biological, adopted, foster, step, or child of a civil union partner), parents (including step, foster adoptive and legal guardians), spouses, civil or domestic union partners, grandparents and their spouses or civil or domestic union partners, grandchildren, and siblings.

The law requires that employees be given written notice of the law. Employers must also post a poster advising employees of their rights under the law.

I contacted the Elizabeth Department of Health today and was told that the Department has not yet issued a poster, but that employers should create their own based on the provisions in the Ordinance.

Employers with questions about the contents of the notice or poster should contact employment counsel.