Eugene, Oregon Adopts Paid Sick Leave Law

Eugene, Oregon has become the ninth jurisdiction in the United States to enact a paid sick leave law.

Under the new legislation, employees will be able to start earning one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of paid work in Eugene, to a maximum of 40 hours of sick leave per year. Employees may begin using their accrued sick leave after 90 days of employment.

Reasons that will make an employee eligible to use their sick leave days may include:

• Diagnosis, care or treatment of the employee or the employee’s family for physical or mental illness, injury or health condition, including preventative medical care.

• Purposes related to domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking.

The legislation stipulates that an employer is not required to compensate an employee for unused sick leave if their employment is terminated. An employer also cannot require an employee to find a replacement for a shift they are missing due to sick leave.

Employees who do not typically work in Eugene can also earn sick leave for the hours they work in Eugene, once they have performed work in the city totaling at least 240 hours in one year.

Although the legislation is scheduled to come into effect next year, there could still be a legal battle ahead, because Lane County commissioners have passed several ordinances that directly contradict the legislation passed by the Eugene city council. Which legislation takes precedence is a matter that could be decided by the courts.

About Presagia

Founded in 1987, Presagia has a long history of helping organizations solve complex business problems with easy-to-use solutions. Today, this means providing cloud-based absence management solutions that enable organizations to be more efficient, control lost time and risk, and strengthen compliance with federal, state and municipal leave and accommodation laws.