Paid Sick Leave Laws for Massachusetts

Paid sick leave is a current legislative trend across America. With 50 states and 39,000 municipalities In the U.S., new rules and regulations are being mandated rapidly. Five states – Oregon, California, Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts – have policies in place, as does the District of Columbia. Over 25 local jurisdictions in California, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington also have passed laws.
Here is a look at where Massachusetts stands on paid sick leave, and how it affects average American workers:

• All employers with 1+ ee’s working in the state need to accrue paid sick time;
• Multi-state operators – count into this
• 1-10 – does not have to be paid
• 11+ - has to be paid sick time
• Employees can earn up to 40 hours of sick leave per year.
• The law applies to all employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal or, temporary) and excludes public employers and students in work-study programs.
• Employers must post a conspicuous notice in workplace areas and provide a hard copy or electronic copy of the notice for all eligible employees.
• Employee must provide notice, unless the circumstance is unforeseeable – notice must be reasonable under the circumstances.
• Employer can request health documentation if employee has used paid sick leave for more than 24 consecutive scheduled hours, is absent on three consecutive days, is absent two weeks prior to last day before termination, or is absent after four unforeseeable/undocumented absences within a three-month period.