The D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) has issued a new Paid Family Leave notice/poster. This notice must be posted in a “conspicuous place”, such as where the employer posts employment-related information, and must be provided to employees, on or before February 1, 2024.

The new notice, effective October, 2023, is identical to the previous notice, which was issued in October 2022, except that the maximum weekly benefit has increased. The new maximum weekly benefit is $1,118. From October 2022 to October 2023, the maximum weekly benefit was $1,049.  

Under the Universal Paid Leave Act, DOES is directed to adjust the maximum weekly benefit amount annually, to take effect on October 1 of each successive year. The maximum weekly benefit increases in proportion to the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the previous calendar year. The increase takes effect as long as the Chief Financial Officer of D.C. certifies that funds are sufficient in the Universal Paid Leave Fund each year to cover the maximum weekly benefit.

Employers should ensure that they post this notice and provide it to employees before February 1, if they haven’t already. Jackson Lewis attorneys are available to assist employers to comply with this complicated law.  

Philadelphia’s COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law expired on December 31, 2023. As a result, as of January 1, 2024, employers are no longer required to provide additional paid sick leave to employees when they are absent for certain COVID-19 reasons. 

That said, employers should be mindful that they may still be required to provide paid or unpaid sick leave to Philadelphia employees under the City’s Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces law. Under that law, employees who work at least 40 hours a year in Philadelphia are entitled to earn one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours they work.  Employees earn up to 40 sick leave hours in a calendar year to use for an employee’s own health needs, to care for a family member, or for leave due to domestic abuse or sexual assault. You can learn more about Philadelphia’s Paid Sick Leave protections here.

Jackson Lewis attorneys continually monitor leave law developments in Pennsylvania and around the country. If you have questions about leave law compliance, please contact a Jackson Lewis attorney.

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave has released an updated version of its workplace poster for 2024 reflecting the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) contribution and benefit increases that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The poster must be posted in a location where it can be easily read and displayed in English and any other language spoken by at least five employees (if the Department provides a translation).

Learn more here.

The City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Equal Protection (OEP) has announced that it will begin strict enforcement and compliance checks for local businesses to ensure they are complying with their obligations under the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (Ordinance). The “compliance campaign” will focus on the food services industry.

Learn more here.

Minnesota’s statewide paid sick and safe leave mandate, the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law, went into effect Jan. 1, 2024. The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has posted answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ Guide) that it revised on Dec. 4, 2023.

The revised FAQ Guide provides more information and example scenarios related to the ESST law. It is one of many resources the DLI published to assist understanding the new workplace responsibilities and protections created by the ESST law. The DLI also posted a YouTube video and slide show presentation.

Learn more here.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the 2024 Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rate.

Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and send state disability contributions to the EDD.

Of note, Senate Bill (SB) 951, which was signed in 2022, eliminated the Maximum Contribution and Taxable Wage Ceiling effective January 1, 2024.  These concepts can be disregarded by employers, subject to future legislation.

Learn more here.

We rang in the new year waiting and watching for the issuance of the EEOC’s final regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the text of the final regulations for review on December 27.  Assuming that the EEOC’s final regulations clear this review, we expect the regulations to be published in the Federal Register soon.  

The PWFA was enacted almost exactly a year ago, on Dec. 29, 2022 and went into effect on June 27, 2023.  The Act requires employers with at least 15 employees provide reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to qualified employees and applicants with known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The Act required the EEOC to issue the regulations by December 29, 2023. The proposed regulations were published for public comment in the Federal Register on August 11, 2023. Over 100,000 public comments, including those from Jackson Lewis P.C., were submitted to the EEOC.

We are continuing to monitor and will report back when the final regulations are published. 

For Illinois employers, the new year brings a variety of new paid leave laws, the most recent being the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance passed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 14, 2023.

The Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance supersedes the preexisting Cook County Earned Sick Leave Ordinance and requires employers to offer paid leave that can be used for any reason to most Cook County employees. Effective Dec. 31, 2023, the new Ordinance entitles covered employees to earn and use up to 40 hours of paid leave annually.

Learn more here.

On January 1, 2024, California’s Senate Bill (SB) 616 takes effect, increasing the amount of paid sick leave employers are required to provide to California employees. In the new year, employers will be required to provide 40 hours of sick leave.  Several cities in California also have their own paid sick leave ordinances, and employers will need to determine which aspects of state and local ordinances apply to their employees.

Learn more here.

The Chicago City Council has passed an amendment to the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance to delay its effective date to July 1, 2024, in addition to other changes.

Learn more about the amendment here.