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California Provides Supplemental Paid Sick Leave For Food Sector Workers
On April 16, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-51-20 (the ”Order”), which requires “hiring entities” with at least 500 employees in the United States to provide “food sector workers” with up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave related to COVID-19. The Order, effective April 16, 2020, is the second recent law in California providing paid sick leave to workers not covered by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”)(which requires employers with fewer than 500 employees provide paid sick leave). We previously reported on the Los Angeles emergency ordinance providing similar paid sick leave provisions for employees of larger employers not covered by the FFCRA.
Although the Order explicitly addresses “food sector workers”, it is not necessarily limited to workers in the food industry. The Order may apply to employers across all industries, if those employers have workers engaged in food services. Consequently, all employers should carefully scrutinize the provisions of the Order to determine if they apply. Here is what employers need to know about the Order: