SB 822 Summary

• Creates a small employer family leave mediation pilot program for employers with 5-19 employees, allowing employers or employees to request mediation through the Department of Fair Employment and Housing within 30 days of receiving a right-to-sue notice for family leave violations, with the program set to expire January 1, 2024.

• Requires food employees to be permitted to wash their hands every 30 minutes and additionally as needed in any food facility.

• Establishes COVID-19 food sector supplemental paid sick leave of 80 hours for full-time food workers (or proportional hours for part-time workers) who cannot work due to quarantine orders, health provider advice, or employer health concerns related to COVID-19, compensated at the highest of regular pay, state minimum wage, or local minimum wage, capped at $511 per day and $5,110 total.

• Establishes COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for covered workers (employees of private businesses with 500+ employees and certain health care providers/emergency responders) under the same conditions as food sector workers, with special provisions allowing firefighters to receive hours equal to their scheduled work hours if exceeding 80 hours.

• Both supplemental paid sick leave provisions expire December 31, 2020, or upon expiration of the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, whichever is later, and appropriates $100,000 to the Labor Commissioner for implementation and enforcement.