Back in March 2013, the Portland City Council passed the new Portland Paid Sick Leave Ordinance requiring all but the smallest Portland employers to provide paid sick leave ("PSL") for employees who work within city limits. On November 1, the city released final regulations fleshing out some details (the original Ordinance was also amended during this process). The law becomes effective January 1, 2014, so employers with employees in Portland need to review relevant policies to confirm they comply with the new law.
In a nutshell, the Ordinance requires all employers with six or more employees to provide at least 40 hours of PSL to its Portland employees each year. Employers that already provide equivalent sick leave or paid time off (PTO) are likely already in compliance and probably excused from having to make further changes to policies. But while many of the Ordinance's requirements will look familiar to employers used to dealing with other leave laws (like the Oregon Family Leave Act), the Ordinance has its own unique nuances, many of which result from the fact that it applies only to employees within Portland.
To help you review and revise your company leave policies in preparation for these new requirements, we have prepared a detailed list of common questions and issues--25 of them--that may come up in that review.
Click here to continue reading on the World of Employment Law Blog.
If you have any questions about the content of this alert, please contact a key contributor.