On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Dykema hosted a free webinar to help employers prepare for the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) and the Improved Workforce Opportunity Act (IWOWA) that are set to take effect on Feb. 20. During the webinar, three Dykema attorneys, Charlotte Carne, Sean Darke, and Melvin Muskovitz, discussed changes employers need to make to existing policies, how to effectively implement the new earned sick time mandated by the law, and the pitfalls that are contained in this statute to enable employers to protect themselves under the new legal framework.
ESTA will apply to every employer and every employee in the State of Michigan, except the federal government, and there will be no difference between exempt versus non-exempt, union or non-union, part-time and short-term employees, or employees whose primary location is out of state. There are no exemptions for employers with fewer than 50 employees, unlike the Paid Medical Leave Act.
Under ESTA, employees must get one hour of earned sick time for each 30 hours worked without a cap on accrual of the earned sick time.
“Small” businesses must provide employees up to 40 hours of paid sick leave a year and an additional 32 hours of unpaid sick time per year, while “large” businesses must provide up to 72 hours of paid leave a year. Employers must allow unused sick time to carry over into the next calendar year.
Employees may use their earned sick time for a wide range of reasons,...
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