How To Apply Under Philadelphia Law 2023
Nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Philadelphia still has city-mandated policies that allow workers to take paid sick leave. And you don’t necessarily have to be sick For the benefit of.
The city issued a series of paid sick leave policies beginning in the fall of 2020. Just this past spring, Council passed COVID sick time legislationwhich expanded the requirement that employers with 25 or more workers provide paid sick leave to workers.
Whether you’re a worker in need of sick leave due to coronavirus or an employer looking to learn how to comply with the law, here’s a guide to all of Philadelphia’s pandemic paid sick time policies.
What COVID sick leave laws still apply in Philadelphia?
The city council’s most recent paid sick leave policy for COVID extends through December 2023 and requires employers of 25 or more workers to provide up to 40 hours of paid vacation.
The policy for healthcare workers that was established in September 2020 remains in effect.
Paid leave for health care workers in companies with at least 10 such employees requires that sick health care employees be given time off until they get better. This regulation continues until the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares the end of the pandemic. In September 2022, the Director-General of the World Health Organization said the end of the pandemic was “imminent”.
Which COVID sick laws have expired?
The city also issued other measures that have expired.
There have been plenty of satisfying law expansions, federal regulations that apply to the city, and emergency declarations that have allowed municipalities to enact increased, paid protections for workers. According to the Business Bureau, here are a few of the main ones.
First, Philadelphia enacted a non-COVID paid leave requirement in 2015. You can Read more about this policy here.
In March 2020, city officials extended those protections to apply during a public health emergency in an early effort to cover COVID-related absenteeism. Businesses with more than nine employees were required to allow workers to earn up to five paid sick days. Small businesses were required to provide up to five unpaid sick days. Employees may use the time for COVID-related reasons such as mandatory quarantine periods, business closures, and childcare.
In September 2020, Council Expanding the city’s paid sick leave law to gig workersand expanding the number and types of employees who can take two weeks of paid sick leave. Employers of 500 or more workers have been required to provide up to an additional 112 hours of paid sick leave for COVID reasons beyond just personal illness. In addition to isolation after exposure and caring for a sick family member, employers also had to provide time off in the event of COVID-related childcare closures. That ended in December 2020.
Public Health Emergency Leave was a new law introduced in March 2021 that required companies with 50 or more employees to provide up to an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave—that is, in addition to sick time already required—for reasons related to coronavirus, including Getting a vaccine or recovering from a vaccine. This law expired in June 2021.
Who do Philadelphia’s COVID paid leave policies apply to?
The paid time off policy for health care workers applies to health care workers in companies with 10 or more employees, according to the Bureau of Labor.
The paid time off policy passed by Council in March 2022 extends to all employees required to work in person, according to the office of Council Member Kendra Brooks.
When do current COVID leave laws expire?
The paid leave for health care workers law expires when the World Health Organization or the Center for Disease Control declares the end of the pandemic.
The latest COVID sick time policy expires December 31, 2023.
How do I access COVID sick time benefits?
The Labor Office is recommending that workers who feel entitled to request COVID sick leave the same way they would request standard sick leave, whether that be via email, text, in person, or some other standard way that fits with their workplace culture.
What do I do if my employer does not grant me paid leave?
The Office of Labor Protection handles complaints and said the process takes about four to eight months on average, though complex cases can take longer.
Workers can file complaints with the Labor Protection Office via: Fill out this form and email the completed form to paidsickleave@phila.gov or mail it to:
Labor Protection Office
Building the land title deed
100 S. Broad St., 4th Floor, Room #425
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19110