Minnesota, a hotbed of COVID-19 at various times over the past two years, has a new law that recognizes the state’s frontline workers by offering them the chance to receive part of a $500 million bonus pool – and employers need to take specific steps to ensure they fulfill their obligations to this new “hero pay” law. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the bonus-pay legislative bill, also informally referred to the “Frontline Worker Pay Law,” on April 29, and the period of time that workers will be able to apply for their share of these funds starts June 8, kicking employers’ 15-day notice obligations into gear. What are the five steps that you, as an employer of Minnesota employees, should take to ensure you comply with this new law if it applies to you? [Ed. Note: this Insight was updated on June 7 with new information about the application process.]
Quick Background: What Does the New Law Do?
Before diving into your specific action items, let’s make sure you understand what this new “hero pay” law does. It gives eligible frontline workers the opportunity to apply for $500 million dollars of state-funded bonus payments. These funds are intended to thank them for showing up to work in-person and providing critical services during the height of the state’s COVID-19 emergency in conditions that may have exceeded those contemplated by their ordinary employment. Their work ensured Minnesota was “able to continue functioning during the pandemic,” the law states, and it...
The National Board of Directors of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) hereby alerts the general public to a growing pattern of impersonation, misrepresentation, and the unau...