NJ Paid Sick leave law

NJ recently passed a law requiring all employers to give paid sick time off. Employee's will accrue 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, to a maximum of 40 hours per year. Employers must post paid sick rules and provide it to all new hires. Sick time off may be used for victims of abuse in additional to sick and schooling related issues.

Amendment to NYC Human Rights Law

Recently NYC amended their human rights law to read that all NYC companies must engage in
"cooperative dialogue" with employees who request reasonable accommodation for time off.
NYCHRL has long required accommodation by employers to employees for many reasons (religious, disability, health or other) where it doesn't create a undue hardship.The real change is the way it's done. You must engage in good faith, upon final determination a written final determination must be done. No longer may you just talk it out, talk it out and write it up. This goes into effect Oct 15, 2018

Ban the Box A/K/A Fair Chance Act

Washington state just become the next state to Ban the Box. Employers are now prohibited from asking employees if they were arrested or incarcerated during a job interview or before a job offer is extended.
Washington state joins NYC which issued this law in mid 2017 also known as fair chance act. Washington's law takes effect June 2018.
Only after an offer of employment is offered may the employer ask about incarceration and can only withdraw the offer if the crime has a direct relation to the job offered.
In the last decade about 30 states have laws banning these type questions on the books.

NYS Paid Family Leave Act (PFL)

Effective 1/1/2018 Paid family leave act goes into effect. Employees will now be allowed up to 8 weeks off and 50% salary going to 67% of salary for 12 weeks (in 2021).
Employees will be allowed off to care for a family member who has a serious health condition. Also may be used to bond with a child during the 12 months after the birth, adoption or fostering of a child. This program is funded solely from the employee thru a deduction similar to NYS disability, .0126% of an employee's wage to a maximum of $1.65 per week.
This insurance is mandatory for all employers for PT or FT workers.
Leave can also be used when a spouse, child, domestic partner or parent of employee goes on active military duty.
Employees are entitled to job protection and retaliation is forbidden.
Compliance with this program must be posted conspicuously.

Is $15.00 per hour minimum wage inevitable?

Recently there has been a lot of talk and pressure to raise minimum wage in various states or locales.
Federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour but most states already set their minimum wage above the federal.
Recently Portland, OR raised minimum wage to $15. for city workers.
Seattle is also @ $15.00 depending on the size of your company but for all companies it will be graduated in over time within a maximum of 7 years.
Los Angeles just passed legislation that will raise minimum wage up to $15. by 2020. After 2020 it will be linked to cost of living. Currently CA state minimum wage is $9. per hour. This raise would effect almost half of all workers in Los Angeles, nearly 800,000. workers.
NYC and Chicago are also considering such a raise.
Recently McDonalds under a lot of pressure agreed to raise wages on all it's company owned stores employees by $1. above local minimums, this will bring the average to about $10. per hour.

New IRS limits for pension plans & social security

IRS Announces 2015 pension plan amounts. 401k, 403b & 457 plans will have a maximum contribution of $18000. up from $17000 last year. For those 50 and over, they can contribute another $6000. up from $5000. last year.

Taxable wage base for social security wages increases in 2015 to $118,000, from $117,000. The rates remain the same @ 6.2% plus 1.45%. 6.2% goes until $118,000. but the 1.45% is on all wages.

NYC Earned Sick Time Act (modified)

 Overview of the NYC Earned Sick Time Act

Effective Day and Accrual:

Effective April 1^st 2014 all employers of 5 or more employees or an employer of 1 domestic worker must provide paid sick time. All other employers must provide unpaid sick leave of up to 40 hours. Part time workers are also covered. Business size will be determined by counting all workers in a business.

Workers will earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours of sick time a calendar year.  An employee will be entitled to begin using sick time on the 120^th day of employment or on July 31^st 2014 whichever is later.

Eligible Use of Sick Leave:

Under the Act, sick time may be used for an employee’s own health needs or to care for a family member (child, spouse, partner, parent, sibling, grandchild or grandparent, or the child or parent of an employee’s spouse or partner).

Sick time may also be applied when there is a public health emergency.

Type of Paid Leave:

Any type of paid leave – paid time off, vacation, personal days, etc will count for purposes of complying with the law as long as they can be used for sick leave.

Employee Notice & Documentation:

An employer may require reasonable notice of planned use of sick time & may require an employee to provide notice of unforeseeable use of sick time as soon as practicable. A note signed by a licensed health care provider indicating the need for the sick time taken is considered reasonable. An employer may not demand documentation specifying the nature of the employee’s injury, illness or condition.

Employers may disciple employees who attempt to use sick time for improper absences.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is charged with enforcing the Act. Employers are required to retain records documenting their compliance with the act for three years. Employers of between 6 and 19 employees will have a grace period for violations until October 1^st, 2014.

This is modified from the original law that was passed only a few months ago