2020 -- S 2760 | |
======== | |
LC005202 | |
======== | |
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
____________ | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS - HEALTHY AND SAFE FAMILIES | |
AND WORKPLACES ACT | |
| |
Introduced By: Senator Maryellen Goodwin | |
Date Introduced: March 04, 2020 | |
Referred To: Senate Labor | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 28-57-3 and 28-57-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-57 entitled |
2 | "Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 28-57-3. Definitions. |
4 | As used in the chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings: |
5 | (1) "Care recipient" means a person for whom the employee is responsible for providing |
6 | or arranging health- or safety-related care, including, but not limited to, helping the person obtain |
7 | diagnostic, preventive, routine, or therapeutic health treatment or ensuring the person is safe |
8 | following domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. |
9 | (2) "CCAP family child care provider" means a childcare worker as defined in § 40-6.6- |
10 | 2(2). |
11 | (3) "Child" means a person as defined in § 28-41-34(1). |
12 | (4) "Department" means the department of labor and training. |
13 | (5) "Domestic partner" means a party to a civil union as defined in chapter 3.1 of title 15 |
14 | or a person who meets the requirements in §§ 36-12-1(3)(i) through (3)(v) has the same meaning |
15 | as that term is defined in § 8-8.2-20. |
16 | (6) "Domestic violence" means certain crimes when committed by one family or household |
17 | member against another as defined in § 12-29-2. |
18 | (7) "Employee" means any person suffered or permitted to work by an employer, except |
| |
1 | for those not considered employees as defined in § 28-12-2. Independent contractors, |
2 | subcontractors, work study participants as described pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 2753.23, |
3 | apprenticeships and interns as defined under FLSA section 3(g) shall not be considered to be |
4 | employees for the purpose of this act. |
5 | (8) "Employer" means any individual or entity that includes any individual, partnership, |
6 | association, corporation, business trust, or any person or group of persons acting directly or |
7 | indirectly in the interest of an employer, in relation to an employee as defined in § 28-12-2, but |
8 | does not include the federal government, and provided that in determining the number of employees |
9 | performing work for an employer as defined in 29 C.F.R. § 791.2 of the Federal Fair Labor |
10 | Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., the total number of employees in that group shall be |
11 | counted. |
12 | (9) "Family member" means a child, parent, spouse, mother-in-law, father-in-law, |
13 | grandparents, grandchildren, or domestic partner, sibling, care recipient, or member of the |
14 | employee's household. |
15 | (10) "Health care professional" means any person licensed under federal or Rhode Island |
16 | law to provide medical or emergency services, including, but not limited to: doctors, nurses, and |
17 | emergency room personnel. |
18 | (11) "Paid sick leave time" or "paid sick and safe leave time" means time that is |
19 | compensated at the same hourly rate and with the same benefits, including health care benefits, as |
20 | the employee normally earns during hours worked and is provided by an employer to an employee |
21 | for the purposes described in § 28-57-6, but in no case shall the hourly wage paid leave be less than |
22 | that provided under § 28-12-3.; provided, however, "paid sick leave time" or "paid sick and safe |
23 | leave time" also means time that is compensated at the wage hourly rate only for all employees in |
24 | the construction industry, as classified as code 23 under the North American Industry Classification |
25 | System (NAICS), working and under a multi-employer collective bargaining agreement authorized |
26 | pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 158 (e) and (f) that contains collective bargaining agreement language |
27 | providing for sick wage benefits. These benefits shall be governed by these collective bargaining |
28 | agreements when they contain provisions for sick time and safe leave benefits. |
29 | (12) "Parent" means a person as defined in § 28-41-34(5) or a person as defined in § 28- |
30 | 41-34(9). |
31 | (13) "Seasonal employee" means a person as defined in 26 C.F.R. § 54.4980H-1(a)(38). |
32 | (14) "Sexual assault" means a crime as defined in §§ 11-37-2, 11-37-4 or 11-37-6. |
33 | (15) "Sibling" means a brother or a sister, whether related through half blood, whole blood, |
34 | or adoption, a foster sibling, or a step-sibling. |
| LC005202 - Page 2 of 6 |
1 | (16) "Spouse" means a person as defined in § 28-41-34(7). |
2 | (17) "Stalking" means a crime as described in §§ 11-59-2 and 11-52-4.2. |
3 | (18) "Temporary employee" means any person working for, or obtaining employment |
4 | pursuant to an agreement with any employment agency, placement service, or training school or |
5 | center. |
6 | (19) "Unpaid sick time" is time that is used for the purposes described in § 28-57-6 of this |
7 | chapter. |
8 | (20) "Year" means a regular and consecutive twelve-month-period as determined by the |
9 | employer; except that for the purposes of § 28-57-7, "year" means a calendar year. |
10 | 28-57-5. Accrual of paid sick and safe leave time. |
11 | (a) All employees employed by an employer of eighteen (18) or more employees in Rhode |
12 | Island and all employees in the construction industry, as classified as code 23 under the North |
13 | American Industry Classification System (NAICS), working under a multi-employer collective |
14 | bargaining agreement authorized pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 158 (e) and (f) that contains language for |
15 | such benefits shall accrue a minimum of one hour of paid sick and safe leave time for every thirty |
16 | five (35) hours worked up to a maximum of twenty-four (24) hours during the calendar year of |
17 | 2018, thirty-two (32) hours during calendar year 2019 and up to a maximum of forty (40) hours per |
18 | year thereafter, unless the employer chooses to provide a higher annual limit in both accrual and |
19 | use. In determining the number of employees who are employed by an employer for compensation, |
20 | all employees defined in § 28-57-3(7) shall be counted. |
21 | (b) Employees who are exempt from the overtime requirements under 29 U.S.C. § |
22 | 213(a)(1) of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., will be assumed to work |
23 | forty (40) hours in each work week for purposes of paid sick and safe leave time accrual unless |
24 | their normal work week is less than forty (40) hours, in which case paid sick and safe leave time |
25 | accrues based upon that normal work week. |
26 | (c) Paid sick and safe leave time as provided in this chapter shall begin to accrue at the |
27 | commencement of employment or pursuant to the law's effective date [July 1, 2018], whichever is |
28 | later. An employer may provide all paid sick and safe leave time that an employee is expected to |
29 | accrue in a year at the beginning of the year. |
30 | (d) An employer may require a waiting period for newly hired employees of up to ninety |
31 | (90) days. During this waiting period, an employee shall accrue earned sick time pursuant to this |
32 | section or the employer's policy, if exempt under § 28-57-4(b), but shall not be permitted to use the |
33 | earned sick time until after he or she has completed the waiting period. |
34 | (e) Paid sick and safe leave time shall be carried over to the following calendar year; |
| LC005202 - Page 3 of 6 |
1 | however, an employee's use of paid sick and safe leave time provided under this chapter in each |
2 | calendar year shall not exceed twenty-four (24) hours during calendar year 2018, and thirty-two |
3 | (32) hours during calendar year 2019, and forty (40) hours per year thereafter. Alternatively, in lieu |
4 | of carryover of unused earned paid sick and safe leave time from one year to the next, an employer |
5 | may pay an employee for unused earned paid sick and safe leave time at the end of a year and |
6 | provide the employee with an amount of paid sick and safe leave that meets or exceeds the |
7 | requirements of this chapter that is available for the employee's immediate use at the beginning of |
8 | the subsequent year. |
9 | (f) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as requiring financial or other reimbursement |
10 | to an employee from an employer upon the employee's termination, resignation, retirement, or other |
11 | separation from employment for accrued paid sick and safe leave time that has not been used. |
12 | (g) If an employee is transferred to a separate division, entity, or location within the state, |
13 | but remains employed by the same employer as defined in 29 C.F.R. § 791.2 of the Federal Fair |
14 | Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., the employee is entitled to all paid sick and safe leave |
15 | time accrued at the prior division, entity, or location and is entitled to use all paid sick and safe |
16 | leave time as provided in this act. When there is a separation from employment and the employee |
17 | is rehired within one hundred thirty-five (135) days of separation by the same employer, previously |
18 | accrued paid sick and safe leave time that had not been used shall be reinstated. Further, the |
19 | employee shall be entitled to use accrued paid sick and safe leave time and accrue additional sick |
20 | and safe leave time at the re-commencement of employment. |
21 | (h) When a different employer succeeds or takes the place of an existing employer, all |
22 | employees of the original employer who remain employed by the successor employer within the |
23 | state are entitled to all earned paid sick and safe leave time they accrued when employed by the |
24 | original employer, and are entitled to use earned paid sick and safe leave time previously accrued. |
25 | (i) At its discretion, an employer may loan sick and safe leave time to an employee in |
26 | advance of accrual by such employee. |
27 | (j) Temporary employees shall be entitled to use accrued paid sick and safe leave time |
28 | beginning on the one hundred eightieth (180) calendar day following commencement of their |
29 | employment, unless otherwise permitted by the employer. On and after the one hundred eightieth |
30 | (180) calendar day of employment, employees may use paid sick and safe leave time as it is |
31 | accrued. During this waiting period, an employee shall accrue earned sick time pursuant to this |
32 | chapter, but shall not be permitted to use the earned sick time until after he or she has completed |
33 | the waiting period. |
34 | (k) Seasonal employees shall be entitled to use accrued paid sick and safe leave time |
| LC005202 - Page 4 of 6 |
1 | beginning on the one hundred fiftieth (150) calendar day following commencement of their |
2 | employment, unless otherwise permitted by the employer. On and after the one hundred fiftieth |
3 | (150) calendar day of employment, employees may use paid sick and safe leave time as it is |
4 | accrued. During this waiting period, an employee shall accrue earned sick time pursuant to this |
5 | chapter, but shall not be permitted to use the earned sick time until after he or she has completed |
6 | the waiting period. |
7 | (1) Employers in the construction industry, as classified as code 23 under the North |
8 | American Industry Classification System (NAICS), that are signatory to a multi-employer |
9 | collective bargaining agreement authorized pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 158 (e) and (f) may name a |
10 | federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefit trust fund to administer the |
11 | paid sick leave and safe leave wage time employee benefits required by this chapter. The collective |
12 | bargaining agreement language that allows the trust to administer the paid sick leave and safe leave |
13 | non-wage benefits by the ERISA trust fund allowing the multi-employers to participate through |
14 | their local collective bargaining agreement in providing benefits to their employees shall make |
15 | these employers compliant with this chapter. |
16 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
======== | |
LC005202 | |
======== | |
| LC005202 - Page 5 of 6 |
EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS - HEALTHY AND SAFE FAMILIES | |
AND WORKPLACES ACT | |
*** | |
1 | This act would allow construction employees working under a multi-employer bargaining |
2 | agreement to be governed by the language in that agreement relating to sick time and safe leave |
3 | benefits and administered by the employee retirement income security act (ERISA) trust fund. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
======== | |
LC005202 | |
======== | |
| LC005202 - Page 6 of 6 |