Duluth, Minnesota Repeals Its Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

National employers must navigate a maze of state and local paid sick leave laws with different requirements. That maze is especially burdensome for employers in Minnesota, where employers have dealt with local sick leave ordinances in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bloomington, and Duluth. Last year, Minnesota passed a statewide paid sick leave law that went into effect on January 1, 2024. In cities with a local sick leave ordinance, employers must comply with the requirements of both the state and local laws. That means employers must compare each provision of the state law to all of the local ordinances and follow the provision that is more friendly to employees.

Fortunately, the differences between the state law and the ordinances in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Bloomington are minor. For example, the laws all allow employees to accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year. 

Duluth’s paid sick leave ordinance, however, has terms that differ more radically. In Duluth, employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 50 hours of work, up to a maximum of 64 hours per year.

Yesterday, Duluth made sick leave compliance easier for Minnesota employers by repealing its sick leave ordinance. Now employers can focus on compliance with the new state law and the similar local ordinances in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Bloomington.

We will continue to monitor sick leave developments in Minnesota and across the country.