DOL Issues Final Rule Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors – Are You Ready? By Debbi Cohen

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its Final Rule to implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13706, which was signed by President Obama on Labor Day 2015, establishing paid sick leave for Federal Contractors. In short, the Rule will apply to “covered contracts” – defined broadly and with limited exceptions in the Rule – which are newly solicited, awarded outside the solicitation process, renewed, extended, or amended on or after January 1, 2017, and it requires parties that enter into covered contracts with the Federal Government to provide “covered employees” – again, there are limited exclusions, including a temporary exclusion for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement – with up to 7 days (56 hours) of paid sick leave annually.
Even for those Federal Contractors that already offer paid time off to their existing workforces, now would be a good time to review your policies and procedures to ensure they satisfy the requirements of the E.O. and Final Rule. In addition to specific requirements related to leave accrual rates, certification and use, there are carryover provisions and other stringent administrative obligations, recordkeeping, contract clause and notice requirements, and anti-retaliation prohibitions. For compliance assistance, consult counsel.

Debbi Cohen is Counsel to Benton Potter & Murdock, P.C.

Important Notice and Disclaimer

Important Notice and Disclaimer

The materials and information available at bpmlawyers.blogspot.com are provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice or soliciting legal business. Recipients of content from this site, clients or otherwise, should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Blog without seeking appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from an attorney licensed in the recipient’s state. The content of this Blog is general information and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. Benton Potter & Murdock expressly disclaims all liability with regard to actions taken or not taken based upon any or all of the contents of this Blog. Use of and access to this Web site/blog or any of the e-mail links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between (a) the authors, editors or Benton Potter & Murdock, and (b) the user or browser. The opinions expressed at or through this site/blog are the opinions of the authors of each specific post and may not reflect the opinions of the editors, Benton Potter & Murdock or any of its attorneys or clients. Unsolicited information sent to Benton Potter & Murdock by persons who are not already clients of the firm is not subject to any duty of confidentiality on the part of the firm.