Duluth is one step closer to passing its own Earned Sick & Safe Time ordinance (ESST), to go into effect January 1, 2020. Following in the footsteps of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Duluth’s proposed ordinance would require employers to provide employees with 1 hour of time off for every 50 hours worked. Employees would also be able to bank up to 40 hours of earned sick time from one year to another.

For purposes of Duluth’s ESST, an “employee” is defined as a person working within the geographic boundaries of Duluth for more than 50% of the employee’s working time in a 12-month period, or is based in Duluth and spends a “substantial part” of work time in Duluth and not more than 50% of work time in a 12 month period in any other place. Notably, seasonal workers (those employed 120 days or less) would be exempt as would independent contractors, student interns, and those covered under the federal Railway Unemployment Insurance Act. An “employer” under the ESST is defined as having 5 or more employees in any location, whether or not they work in Duluth. A temporary employee supplied by a staffing company is considered an employee of the staffing company. The definition of “employer”, however seems problematic in light of the recent Court order regarding the Minneapolis Sick & Safe Leave Ordinance (more on that in my next blog), as it appears to govern non-Duluth based employers. Thus, I suspect a lawsuit will follow challenging the scope of the ordinance, if enacted as amended.

The original ordinance and amendments can be found here. The City Counsel meets again May 29, 2018, and is expected to vote on it, as amended. Stay tuned for a detailed blog should it pass.