Without much fanfare, Tennessee has a new employee rights law on the books providing veterans with the guaranteed right to take an unpaid day off from work on Veterans Day—Nov. 11. This new law was passed by the state legislature on April 7 and was signed into effect by Gov. Bill Lee on April 20. What steps should Tennessee employers take to prepare for this new legal obligation?
Veterans Entitled to Unpaid Day Off on Nov. 11
The new law covers any business which employs at least one person and requires employers—with limited exceptions—to provide veterans with an unpaid day off on Nov. 11. In order to qualify for this benefit, the employee needs to provide you with:
The only exceptions to the required day off are if the veteran's absence would impact public health or safety, or if the time off would cause you significant economic or operational disruption.
"Veterans" are defined in the new law as former members of the U.S. armed forces and former or current members of a reserve or a Tennessee National Guard unit called into active military service of the U.S. The statute does not include independent contractors as workers entitled to this benefit.
What Steps Should You Take?
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