The United States Department of Labor requires businesses with fewer than 500 employees to post a notice to employees between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 informing them of their rights under this act. The posting may be downloaded and printed here.
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”). The Act includes the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, each of which contain paid leave requirements for employers with fewer than 500 employees. Prior alerts discussing the paid leave benefits available under both portions of the Act can be found here.
On March 24, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued “Questions and Answers” (“Q&A”) relating to certain provisions in the Act that may be found here. Most significantly, the DOL announced that the Act will go into effect on April 1, 2020, and not on April 2, 2020, as originally contemplated. Other highlights from the Q&A that at least shed light on where the DOL may be heading with its forthcoming regulations and enforcement efforts under the Act include the following: