By Anne M. Radolinski & Ashley R. Thronson
On May 30, 2017, Minnesota Governor Dayton vetoed a bill that would have prevented cities from enacting their own minimum wage and sick time ordinances. The bill, entitled the Uniform Labor Standards Act, was passed by the Minnesota House and Senate on May 24 and 25 and was presented to the Governor on Friday, May 26. It explicitly prohibited local governments from adopting, enforcing or administering any ordinance that regulated employee hours or scheduling or otherwise required employers to: (1) pay higher than the state minimum wage; (2) provide paid or unpaid leave time; or (3) provide particular benefits or terms of employment.
The bill, if it had gone into effect, would have blocked the new Minneapolis and St. Paul sick and safe time ordinances as well as any other city ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the state minimum wage, or mandating leave time or other benefits or terms of employment. The Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance will now go into effect July 1, 2017. The St. Paul Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance will go into effect July 1, 2017, for employers with 24 or more employees and July 1, 2018, for employers with 23 or fewer employees.
Covered employers are encouraged to review existing policies and practices, including but not limited to paid time off, leave, payroll and recordkeeping policies and practices, to ensure compliance with the ordinances and a smooth transition in the event changes are necessary.
See our earlier articles for an outline of the requirements of the ordinances:
Minneapolis Issues Sick and Safe Time Ordinance as limited by the Court's injunction
St. Paul Passes Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance
If you have questions or would like assistance preparing for or implementing these requirements, please reach out to one of our Employment & Labor Group attorneys.
