Continuing our series on COVID-19 and the ever-changing employment atmosphere, California workers who’ve tested positive for Omicron after exhausting their sick pay are hopeful for supplemental assistance. With the last COVID-19 sick leave having ended in September 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom has collaborated with state lawmakers to require another wave of supplemental payments through September 30, 2022.
According to the framework, full-time workers at companies of less than 26 employees can receive up to 40 hours of additional COVID-19 sick leave, plus another 40 hours to care for a family member who has tested positive. The proposal allows employees to use this time to receive a vaccine, booster, or to recover from any symptoms.
The revival of COVID-19 sick leave comes as a response to the recent Omicron surge that has skyrocketed daily infection counts since late 2021. Employers will have to absorb the costs of distributing sick leave to workers, though the framework includes a restoration of suspended tax credits. This serves to subsidize company costs for sick leave – an especially valuable offer for restaurants, small businesses, and Ma & Pa shops that have been set back by the pandemic’s economic impact.
Another industry that will benefit from an extra round of COVID-19 sick leave is education. The California Teachers Association supported Newsom’s new framework, as it ensures that educators will be able to stay home, recover, and receive a vaccine or booster before returning to the classroom. With thousands of students and teachers having tested positive over recent months, more supplemental COVID-19 sick pay will relieve the pressure on teachers to choose between potentially spreading the virus to their students or staying home without pay. It’s anticipated that providing extra sick days to frontline workers will allow them to stay home, rest up, and receive the care they require, while helping educators keep themselves and their students safe from infection.
For Angela’s insights on COVID-19 and the workplace, such as legislative updates, testing requirements, and exemptions, visit this recent episode of Legal Lens with Angela Reddock-Wright on Spotify. For media inquiries, please reach out to monty@kwsmdigital.com.
To read some of her other blogs in this series, click below:
Experienced Employment Law Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, Investigator, Legal and Media Commentator
Twice-named a U.S. News Best Lawyer in America for employment and labor law, Angela Reddock-Wright is an employment and labor law attorney, mediator, arbitrator, and certified workplace and Title IX investigator (AWI-CH) in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the “Workplace Guru,” Angela is an influencer and leading authority on employment, workplace/HR, Title IX, hazing, and bullying issues. Furthermore, she’s been named a “Top California Employment Lawyer” by the Daily Journal and one of Los Angeles’ “Most Influential Minority and Women Attorneys” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Angela is a regular legal and media commentator and analyst and has appeared on such media outlets as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Law and Crime with Brian Ross, Court TV, CNN, NewsNation, ABC News, CBS News, Fox 11 News, KTLA-5, the Black News Channel, Fox Soul – The Black Report, NPR, KPCC, Airtalk-89.3, KJLH Front Page with Dominique DiPrima, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, Forbes.com, Yahoo! Entertainment, People Magazine, Essence Magazine, the Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Focus, Daily Journal, Our Weekly and the Wave Newspapers.
Angela is a member of the panel of distinguished mediators and arbitrators with Judicate West, a California dispute resolution company. She also owns her own dispute resolution law firm, the Reddock Law Group of Los Angeles, specializing in the mediation, arbitration, and investigation of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace claims, along with Title IX, sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct conduct cases, along with hazing and bullying cases in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, fraternities and sororities; fire, police and other public safety agencies and departments; and other private and public sector workplaces.
Reddock-Wright has also launched her own radio show, Legal Lens with Angela Reddock-Wright, airing on Tavis Smiley’s new KBLA Talk 1580 radio station on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. PT with replays on subsequent Sundays. Listeners may tune-in by downloading the APP @kbla1580 and call the PowerLines at 1-800-920-1580.
For more information regarding resources for employers, businesses, and employees during this time, connect with her on LinkedIn for new updates, or contact her here. You may also follow her on Instagram.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.