Protecting your business from COVID lawsuit liability
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In addition to disrupting how and where employees work, COVID has created a minefield of potential employer lawsuit liability. State and federal laws require businesses to provide hazard-free workplaces for their employees and safe spaces for customers. The coronavirus poses a threat to both. Business liability may come from poor workplace design, lack of cleanliness, or an infectious employee. Employees may file COVID-related lawsuits under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or Workers Compensation (WC).
The regulatory future is at best a mixed bag. The Biden Administration has argued for an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19. The standard would create a list of steps employers must take to make their workplaces safe. The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will enforce the standard. If history is any guide, the B
Monday, January 25, 2021
Joining other counties and cities in California, the City of Oakland voted to extend its Emergency Paid Sick Leave ordinance into 2021. The amended ordinance applies retroactively to December 31, 2020, and will remain in effect until the City’s Declaration of COVID-19 Emergency expires.
The amended ordinance applies to all employers that have employees working in the City of Oakland, with the exception of certain smaller employers that are exempt from the ordinance’s requirements.
No Additional Time
Like the original ordinance, the amended ordinance provides full-time employees with 80 hours of Emergency Paid Sick leave (part-time employees receive a pro-rata amount). However, the amended ordinance states that employers are only required to provide Emergency Paid Sick leave on a one-time basis. In other words, if an employer already provided an employee with all of the Emergency Paid Sick leave available under the original ordinance, i
City of Sheridan HR Director Heather Doke
A temporary COVID paid sick leave policy was considered this week by the Sheridan City Council. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.
COVID Paid Sick Leave Policy
Last March, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which required all employers with less than 500 employees to provide 80 hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave to employees for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The paid leave was available from April 1 to December 31. Private employers were able to get reimbursed for the leave through tax credits, however, since public employers don’t pay taxes, this was not available to the City of Sheridan. City Human Resources Director Heather Doke.
How California Dealers Can Meet COVID-19 Compliance in 2021 The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 includes $285 billion to small businesses for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans, expands the employee retention credit intended to prevent layoffs and rolls over a variety of temporary tax breaks.
Governments responding to the pandemic have adopted and modified laws that affect California dealerships. Here are our recommendations to help them comply:
2021 Federal Spending Bill
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 includes multiple provisions to address the pandemic’s ongoing economic impact.
The most important business provision is the modification of the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act. There are two main provisions: Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave. The EPSL provision mandates up to two weeks of paid sick leave (in addition to any state/local/other sick leave you provide) to qualified employees. The EFML provision e