President Obama praised Vermont and Gov. Peter Shumlin for making paid sick leave a reality for working Vermonters.
Shumlin, a Democrat, signed the bill into law March 9th, 2016. Roughly 60,000 Vermont workers do not currently have paid sick time. But, they will come 2017.
The Vermont paid sick leave law requires employers to provide at least three paid days off a year for employees to use when they are sick, to care for a child or a family member. Employers with more than five employees must provide this new benefit in 2017. Those with five or fewer must comply by 2018. The mandatory leave days increase to five in 2019.
Vermont now joins California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Oregon as states mandating paid sick leave. In excess of 20 cities and the District of Columbia also have mandatory paid sick leave. Beginning in 2017, employees working on federal contracts will also be provided paid sick leave by their employers.
We are heading into a new era of employment law. Add in the number of freelancers expected to grow exponentially over the next 6-10 years and you get a sum that may complicate the conversation for employers and the federal government, alike. Stay tuned!
Until Next Time, Be Audit-Secure!
Lisa Smith
