On March 29, 2021, the City of Philadelphia passed a new ordinance which requires employers to pay eligible employees additional COVID paid sick leave. So, to our employee friends working in Philly, you may be entitled to COVID paid sick leave if you:
- Physically work in the City of Philadelphia.
- Work remotely because of the pandemic. Otherwise, you would be physically working in the City of Philadelphia.
- Spend more than half of your time working in the City of Philadelphia no matter where your employer is based.
The Math
Under this ordinance, the amount of paid sick time depends on how many hours your work.
- If you work at least 40 hours per week, you can get up to 80 hours of paid sick leave.
- Less than 40 hours, figure out the average amount of time you work in a 14-day period. You are entitled to paid sick leave equaling this average.
- If you have a fluctuating work schedule, you can get paid sick leave by calculating the average number of hours you worked over the last 90 days and multiplying that number by 14.
COVID Issues
Under this ordinance, paid sick leave can be used if you are:
- Taking care of yourself or a family member who has COVID-19 or is showing symptoms of it. Also, mere exposure to COVID-19 is a qualification.
- Caring for yourself or a family member during voluntary or involuntary quarantine.
- Taking care of children at home because school or day care is closed due to the virus.
- Getting or recovering from the Covid-19 vaccine’s side effects.
Your employer is also required to notify you of this ordinance its eligibility requirements. Lastly, the ordinance will remain in effect until Governor Wolf lifts the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employment law issues can be confusing to you as an employee. Therefore, feel free to contact us with questions about this blog or with other employee law concerns.
