TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to prepare resolution declaring that the Supplemental Sick Leave Ordinance sunset on February 21, 2023; and, direct the City Attorney’s Office to prepare ordinance repealing Ordinance ORD 20-0017, Section 8.100 to implement the sunsetting of the Ordinance. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On April 14, 2020, the City Council responded to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic by protecting workers through a request for the development of a COVID-19 Paid Supplemental Sick Leave Ordinance. This Ordinance was adopted on May 19, 2020. While the federal COVID-19 Paid Supplemental Sick Leave provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provided paid supplemental sick leave to some workers, the City of Long Beach’s (City) COVID-19 Paid Supplemental Sick Leave expanded eligibility for this important benefit. The City was among the first municipalities to address this issue.
The Federal paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act expired on December 31, 2020. In September 2020, the State established its COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to protect workers, families, and communities in the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. California’s 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave continued this State protection through December 31, 2022.
Since the City’s early adoption of COVID-19 Paid Supplemental Sick Leave, the State responded with additional worker benefits including:
· AB 1949 requiring employers to provide at least five (5) bereavement days.
· SB 951 increasing wage replacement rates to 90 percent for low wage workers.
· AB 1947 extends the statute of limitations to file a claim under Labor Code section 98.7 with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) from six months to one year.
· AB 3075 creates new Labor Code section 200.3 providing that a “successor” to any judgment debtor will be liable for any wages, damages, and penalties owed to a judgment debtor’s workforce pursuant to a final judg...
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