2.5 ERMUSR 05-14-2024Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Mark Hanson —General Manager
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
May 14, 2024
2.5
SUBJECT:
2024 First Quarter Earned Sick and Safe Time Usage
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
BACKGROUND:
Effective January 1, 2024, the Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law requires
Minnesota employers to provide paid leave to employees. The Commission adopted the policy
at their December 2023 commission meeting. ERMU's adopted policy went beyond the
minimum requirements of the ESST law by applying the eligibility criteria to all accrued sick
time. Upon approving the policy, the Commission asked for quarterly updates on sick time
usage through 2024.
DISCUSSION:
To track the usage between prior eligibility requirements and the new ESST provisions, sick time
usage was categorized into the following requirements (family equivalent was used to track
when care was needed for someone beyond the former eligibility requirements):
• Prior Eligibility Requirements:
o Medical Care, Self or Family
o Daycare Closure, Family
• New ESST Provisions
o Work/School Closure, Self or Family
o Medical Care, Family Equivalent
o Daycare Closure, Family Equivalent
o Work/School Closure, Family Equivalent
In the first quarter of 2024, 793.5 hours of sick time was used. Of the total time, 741 hours
were used for medical care of self or family members; 44.5 hours were used due to daycare
closure; and 8 hours were used due to school closure. Only the eight hours used due to school
closure would have required vacation time prior to the adoption of the ESST provisions.
As a reference for comparison, 860 hours of sick time was used in the first quarter of 2023.
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