Sick Leave Bill Passes Senate
- Details
- Created on Friday, 12 February 2016 14:02
- Written by Skyler Dixon
VERMONT- Bill H. 187, a bill which could require employers to give all employees a mandatory amount of paid sick hours, has been passed by the Vermont Senate. The bill was previously passed by the House late April of last year, and began review by the Senate early this month.
Should the bill go into effect, employees would begin the process of “earning” sick time. For every 40 hours of work, employees would gain no less than one hour of paid sick time. This sick time would be paid at the same hourly rate and benefits, including health care, that the employee normally earns. If an employee is in a service or tipping position, they could not be paid less than the minimum wage for a non service or tipping position. Employees would be able to use this sick time for a number of reasons, including personal illness or injury, professional healthcare, and caring for a sick or injured family member.
Not all Vermont employees would have access to this program, however. The bill states employers have the option of requiring a waiting period for new employees before they start earning this time. Furthermore, employers may not count employees who are part-time, summer seasonal, or short-term temporary.
The purpose of this bill is to help businesses thrive, says Democratic Representative of Caledonia-2 District Chip Troiano.
“The employees have a major role in the success of a business, and a content employee is a good employee. So I think that providing benefits such as this are twofold. One, that it creates a good and more dedicated employee, and in many businesses and employers it's a health issue in the respect that people who come to work sick tend to spread their sickness around to other employees.” Troiano said in a phone interview last week.
Upon reading how this bill would impact his business, Robert Montminy of B&B Towing Recovery explains that the bill might impact more than those who come in to work.
“With the talk of increasing minimum wage and mandating sick leave this will cause the cost of products and services to rise in order to pay for the benefits.” Montminy wrote last week.
The effective date for the bill to take effect is January 1 of this year. To read more about the bill, click .
