Last updated on May 7th, 2015 at 07:59 am
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) is urging its members to contact legislators and encourage a delay in the implementation—until Jan. 1, 2016—of the mandated sick leave law.
In November 2014, voters approved a ballot question that mandates paid sick leave for all employees of employers with 11 or more employees. The law takes effect July 1.
According to an MRA email sent May 5, many employers remain unsure of all of the necessary steps to ensure compliance because the final regulations will not be ready until late June or early July. In addition, posters and informational documents are not yet available. The MRA believes it is “virtually impossible to implement such a wide sweeping regulation that impacts the entire Massachusetts workforce in such a short time frame.”
“In order to prevent mistakes regarding eligibility, time accrual, record keeping, notice, integration with other time-off and leave programs, the development of sick leave-related policies and procedures, and to avoid litigation risk, we believe that a delay until January is necessary and reasonable,” MRA said.
