A new law that went into effect in October 2016 requires most employers in Montgomery County to provide earned sick and safe leave to employees for work performed in the county. The Earned Sick and Safe Leave Law, which was intended to provide employees with paid and/or unpaid leave or time off to take care of matters such as their own sickness, family illness or domestic violence, was further amended to allow employees to take earned sick and safe leave for parental purposes, as well.
The new amendment, effective November 9, 2016, specifically allows sick and safe leave to be used for the birth of a child, adoption, foster care, or bonding with a child. The law requires employers to provide paid sick and safe leave at the rate of at least one hour for every 30 hours an employee works, up to 56 hours in a calendar year. An employer with fewer than five employees must provide an employee with up to 32 hours of paid sick and safe leave, plus an additional 24 hours of unpaid leave. Also, employers are required to give employees written notice that they are entitled to earned sick and safe leave under the new law.
The law helps to ensure that employees do not need to make a choice between keeping a job and going to work sick or attending to the wellbeing of him or herself and family. Many employees in the county are expected to benefit from this new law, which is also expected to provide necessary support to the lowest-income and most-vulnerable employees.
To see Montgomery County’s fact sheet on Earned Sick and Safe Leave, click here. To read the county’s guidelines on its parental leave, click here.
If you work in the Montgomery County and your employer failed to provide you with paid and/or unpaid leave for the purposes described above, your rights under the new law may have been violated. The attorneys at Lebau & Neuworth are experienced in protecting employee rights, so we may be able to help you. Contact us at (410) 296-3030 or lebauneuworth.com/contact-us.
