Changes to sick leave laws for COVID-19 expand coverage through the Family Medical Leave Act and require the county to pay workers who are quarantined.
Paul Greufe, Union County Human Resources, spoke to the Union County Board of Supervisors via phone Monday to discuss how the new requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Family First Coronavirus Response Act will affect county employees.
Employees who are quarantined on government order, through the advice of a physician or because they are exhibiting symptoms will receive full pay for two weeks without using their regular sick leave.
Employees who need to take time off to care for a family member who is sick or their children whose daycare or school is closed can receive two-thirds pay for two weeks. The expanded FMLA allows employees to take an additional 10 weeks at two thirds pay to care for their children whose daycare or school is closed.
A private business would receive tax credits to repay the cost of this leave. The act did not specify how government entities would be reimbursed.
Greufe said the county can choose to supplement the two-thirds pay if the supervisors choose to do so. They may simply pay the employee in full or allow the employee to use existing sick leave or vacation time to add up to their full hours.
Supervisor Ron Riley said he feels the board should pay workers their full salary if they are quarantined or caring for someone who is.
“My first thought is if they have the criteria .. I think we would pay them in full,” he said.
Union County Attorney Tim Kenyon noted that if a county employee is quarantined because of a choice they made such as to go out of state, the county would not want to supplement their pay.
“I don’t want us to be in position where we reward people for making a bad decision,” Kenyon said.
The board also discussed allowing employees who are at high risk or who are unable to work due to extreme anxiety over the situation to take leave even if they do not fall under the guidelines.
Greufe told the board members they do not need to make a decision immediately as more information will be available to them as time goes on and the situation may change.
“At minimum we can implement the federal law,” Greufe said. “Then we can sit back wait and find out if and when these issues arise and deal with them at that time. ... This is a moving target. The Department of Labor is changing things, updates on a weekly basis.”
The board did not take action on determining whether or not to supplement employee sick leave under the FFCRA, instead until action is needed — on a week-to-week basis.