Minnesota Employers operating in the East Metro need to be aware of the impending deadlines in the St. Paul Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance (“ESST”) which requires employers with St. Paul-based employees to provide paid sick leave and safe time to those employees. For employers with 24 or more full or part-time St. Paul area-based employees, the ESST is effective July 1, 2017 and for smaller employers the effective date is Jan. 1, 2018. A good summary of the ordinance and its impact on St. Paul employers is available at the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce website.
While there is currently litigation contesting the legality of the similar Minneapolis ordinance, that litigation does not directly affect the St. Paul ESST. St. Paul area employers should assume it will come into being. The Minneapolis ordinance has similar effective dates and there is no current injunction (more about the Minneapolis ordinance in an upcoming Minnesota Employer Blog post).
The implementation of the St. Paul ESST raises corollary questions about uniformity of company-wide PTO policies for employers with employees inside and outside St. Paul proper. It may be easier to administer a uniform rather than a fractured PTO policy for such employers.
Takeaway: The impending ESST Ordinance effective dates require employer action and, perhaps, a broader review of PTO policies with legal counsel. ESST is going to happen so affected employers should prepare!
