FYI:
Terrance Taylor
District Director
Office of Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-05)
Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced new action regarding how American workers and employers will benefit from the protections and relief offered by the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted a temporary
rule
issuing regulations pursuant to this new law, effective today, April 1, 2020.
FFCRA helps the United States combat the
workplace effects of COVID-19 by reimbursing American private employers that
have fewer than 500 employees with tax credits for the costs of providing
employees with paid leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The law
enables employers to keep their workers on their payrolls, while at the same
time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and
the public health measures needed to combat the virus. WHD administers the paid
leave provisions of the Emergency
Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act.
WHD offers a number of plain-language compliance assistance materials to explain the FFCRA’s benefits and requirements. Tools include a Fact Sheet for Employees and a Fact Sheet for Employers, available in both English and Spanish, and an expansive
list of Questions and Answers addressing the questions WHD has most frequently received from stakeholders to-date.
Available guidance also includes two new posters, one for federal workers and one for all other employees, available in both English and Spanish, that will
fulfill notice requirements for employers obligated to inform employees about
their rights under this new law, Questions and Answers about posting requirements, and a Field Assistance Bulletin describing WHD’s 30-day non-enforcement policy.
WHD provides additional information on common
issues employers and employees face when responding to COVID-19 and its effects
on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act and job-protected
leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic.
