Good Afternoon,
Following is an important announcement regarding SCP. Please find attached an English and Spanish version of this announcement.
On Friday, March 19, 2021, Governor Newsom signed California Senate Bill (SB) 95, requiring employers with 25 or more employees to provide supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 related absences. The bill, which is effective retroactively to January 1, 2021, mandates that employers provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to full-time employees and variable paid sick leave amounts for part-time employees, based on the number of hours worked.
You may recall that there was a similar bill and subsequent announcement from Human Resources, in September 2020—(AB) 1867—which expired on December 31, 2020.
Getty has been providing supplemental sick leave for all employees since March 2020 that is greater than either of the State’s requirements. We will modify our current supplemental sick pay program to mirror the new state requirements.
Effective with the pay period beginning on April 4, 2021, all full-time and part-time employees will have a “bank” of 80 hours of supplemental sick pay to use specifically for COVID-19 related absences. Therefore, all employees—whether having used their previous allotment of SCP hours or not—will have a bank of 80 hours of SCP.
Employees will continue to use SCP for COVID-19 related absences before they are required to use their other accrued sick time, when they cannot report for work or telework, due to any of the following reasons:
- is subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19;
- has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19;
- is attending an appointment to receive a vaccine for protection against contracting COVID-19;
- is experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevent the employee from being able to work or telework;
- is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;
- is caring for a family member who is subject to a quarantine or isolation order, or who has been advised to self-quarantine by a health care provider; or
- is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
For the period of January 1, 2021 to April 3, 2021, employees who were unable to work due to one of the reasons outlined above and did not have enough SCP time to cover the absence, can request an adjustment. Accrued time may be credited or, if the absence resulted in unpaid time, the employee will be paid using SCP. Contact a Human Resources Specialist for additional instructions on how to request an adjustment.
The attached “Pay During COVID-19” chart has been updated to include the qualifying reasons when SCP may be used.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me or a Human Resources Specialist should you have any questions.