New Jersey Assembly Introduces Paid Sick Leave Bill

The New Jersey Assembly recently introduced a bill that would require employers to provide paid sick leave to its employees. Under the current version of the bill, employees would accrue 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employees would be permitted to accrue, and carry over from year to year, up to a maximum of 72 hours of paid leave at any one time. This number would be reduced to a 40-hour maximum for small employers – those with less than 10 employees during the preceding calendar year.

Employees would begin accruing leave on January 1, 2014, or after 90 days of employment if the employee's hire date is later. The bill requires earned sick leave to be paid at the employee's normal rate of pay or the State minimum wage rate, whichever is greater.