Flu season is fast approaching, and this winter, Tacoma employers will join Seattle employers in being required to provide paid sick leave. On February 1, 2016, Tacoma’s new paid sick leave ordinance goes into effect. As we have blogged about before, Tacoma is just the latest of a number of state and local jurisdictions around the country to enact a paid employee sick leave law over the last few years.
You can read the full text of the ordinance here. Employers with employees in both Seattle and Tacoma should be aware of the nuances of both cities’ paid leave ordinances, as compared below:
| SEATTLE | TACOMA | |
| Who is covered? | Any employee who works in Seattle for an employer with at least 4 full-time equivalent employees (regardless of the location of the employer), excluding government employees (except City of Seattle employees) and students enrolled in work study programs. Employees who only occasionally work in Seattle must work at least 240 hours in Seattle in a calendar year to be eligible. | Any employee who works in Tacoma at least 80 hours in a calendar year (regardless of the location of the employer) |
| How much paid leave does an employee accrue? |
If the employer has 4-249 employees: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked If the employer has 250+ employees: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked |
1 hour for every 40 hours worked |
| When does an employee begin to accrue paid leave? | Immediately upon hire | Immediately upon hire (as of February 1, 2016) |
| When can an employee begin to use accrued leave? | 180 days after the employee’s hire date | 180 days after the employee’s hire date (as of February 1, 2016) |
| How much accrued leave can an employee use in a calendar year? |
If the employer has 4-49 employees: 40 hours If the employer has 50-249 employees: 56 hours If the employer has 250+ employees: 72 hours |
40 hours |
| How much accrued leave can an employee carry over to the following calendar year? |
If the employer has 4-49 employees: 40 hours If the employer has 50-249 employees: 56 hours If the employer has 250+ employees: 72 hours |
24 hours |
| Can the employer create its own “calendar year?” | No. The calendar year must begin January 1st. | Yes. The calendar year can begin on January 1st, the employee’s hire date, or the first day of the employer’s fiscal year. |
Employers with employees in Tacoma should begin reviewing their policies to prepare for compliance.