The Seattle City Council today approved Council Bill 117216 requiring businesses in Seattle to provide paid leave to employees when they or their family members fall ill or victim to domestic violence.
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Get Your Report Now!In an 8-1 vote, the legislation establishes minimum standards for paid sick and safe time based on company size. Workers in companies with 5 to 249 employees will accrue a minimum of one hour of paid sick and safe time for every 40 hours worked. Workers in companies with 250 or more employees will accrue a minimum of one hour for every 30 hours worked.
According to the city website, employers may satisfy the requirements of the ordinance with a combined leave program that pools vacation and sick leave together. The new regulations will take effect on September 1, 2012, giving businesses a full year to adjust their personnel policies.
The legislation protects start-up companies and micro-businesses through exemptions for companies in their first two years of operation and companies with four or fewer employees.
The bill also requires an independent and objective analysis of the impacts of the policy to be presented to the Council eighteen months after the ordinance takes effect.
For more information on the history of the paid sick leave legislation in Seattle, visit the Council’s information page.