As reported in our prior newsletters, Portland's new sick leave ordinance will go into effect on January 1, 2014 (click here to read the most recent article, which includes a copy of the final rules).  Affected employers must provide a written notice to all employees who work in the City, detailing their rights under the ordinance. This notice must be provided to current employees no later than the first pay period of 2014, or for new employees, their first pay period. A model notice developed by the City is available in Word or pdf (or in Spanish in Word or pdf). Employers are free to customize the notice as long as the notice includes the following:

• A statement about the employee's entitlement to sick time;
• The amount of sick time available and how an employee can use the time;
• The employer's call-in policy that employees must follow to use sick time;
• The prohibition of retaliation against employees who request or use sick time; and
• An employee's right to file a complaint if sick time is denied or if an employee is retaliated against for requesting or using sick time.

The ordinance also requires employers to display the following poster (in Word or pdf) at each worksite as of January 1, 2014.

As the effective date of the new sick leave rule draws closer, employers with employees that work in Portland must familiarize themselves with the ordinance and administrative rules and adjust their policies and employee handbooks accordingly. Contact us if you have questions!

To assist employers with implementation of the new sick leave ordinance, UEA will be hosting a panel discussion early next year. We hope to have participants from BOLI, a local law firm, and our own UEA members on hand to help answer your questions about the new ordinance. We will let you know as soon as details are available!