That’s One Item on the Agenda at Employment Law Conference

Understanding PFML

John Gannon says there are always hot topics within the broad realm of employment law. And sometimes — actually quite often these days — there are what he called “sizzling hot” topics.

The state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law certainly falls in that latter category. Provisions of the bill, specifically the contributions to be paid by employers, go into effect on July 1. The actual law itself doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2021, but the time between now and then will go by quickly, said Gannon, an employment-law specialist with Springfield-based Skoler, Abbott & Presser, adding that employers should do whatever they can to be ready. And there are things they can do, which we’ll get to in a minute.

First, the law itself. Gannon used the single word ‘scary’ to describe it, and he was referring to the reaction of employers large and small who simply don’t know how this piece of legislation, which makes the acronym PFML a new and important part of the business lexicon, will affect their business but have a good right to be scared because of how generous it is.

“This is a payroll tax at its core. So I think employers are going to have questions about how and whether they’re going to be billed, what their tax contributions are going to be, and other concerns.”

Gannon is expecting the Paid Family and Medical Leave Law to be among the main focal points of conversation at the firm’s annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, set for May 21 at the Sheraton Springfield. The conference is staged each year to help local businesses stay abreast of laws and regulations relating to labor issues, said Gannon, and this year there will certainly be a number of issues to discuss. Indeed, breakout sessions are slated on a host of topics, including PFML; wage-and-hour mistakes; harassment, discrimination, and why employers get sued; a labor and employment-law update, how to handle requests for reasonable accommodations (there will be a panel discussion on that topic); and how to conduct an internal investigation.

But Gannon told BusinessWest that paid family and medical leave will likely be the focus of much of the discussion and many of the questions, primarily because the law represents a significant change in the landscape, and business owners and human resources personnel have questions about what’s coming at them.

The first of these questions concerns the contributions to start July 1.

“This is a payroll tax at its core,” he explained. “So I think employers are going to have questions about how and whether they’re going to be billed, what their tax contributions are going to be, and other concerns.”

A 30-page set of draft regulations was recently released by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Family and Medical Leave, and that same office has issued a toolkit for employers with information on everything from remitting and paying contributions to notifying their workforce to applying for exemptions.

There’s quite a bit to keep track of, said Gannon, adding that, under the new law, Massachusetts employees will be eligible to take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave (up to 26 weeks in certain circumstances) and up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave. In most cases, leave may be taken intermittently or on a reduced-schedule basis.

Family leave can be taken to bond with a new child, for qualifying exigency related to a family member on (or called to) active duty or to care for a family member who is in the service, or to care for a family member with a “serious health condition.” Medical leave can be taken for the employee’s own “serious health condition.”

 

John S. Gannon

“Someone has a medical impairment, and they need a new chair, or someone needs to change their schedule — they can’t work mornings anymore — or whatever the change in job structure they’re requesting … these matters can get complicated. How do companies handle these requests? Do they have to grant them? How do they work with employees? These are all questions this panel will address.”

In most cases, the annual cap for family leave is 12 weeks, 20 weeks for medical leave, and 26 weeks total cap for both, if needed.

The employee must give at least 30 days notice of the need for leave or as much notice as practicable. The weekly benefit amount maximum is $850 to start; in future years, it will be capped at 64% of state average weekly wage. The weekly benefits will be funded by contributions from payroll deductions into a state trust fund. The initial rate will be 0.063% of the employee’s wages. Employers may require employees to contribute up to 40% toward medical leave and up to 100% for family leave. Employers with fewer than 25 employees are exempt from paying the employer share of the contributions.

Employers must continue employee health-insurance benefits and premium contributions during any period of family or medical leave, said Gannon, and they must restore employees who return from leave to their previous, or an equivalent, position, with the same status, pay, benefits, and seniority, barring intervening layoffs or changed operating conditions.

There are many other conditions and bits of fine print, he told BusinessWest, adding that, while Jan. 1, 2021 is a long seven business quarters away, business owners and managers can and should start to prepare themselves for that day.

They can start by asking questions and getting answers, he said, adding that small businesses with fewer than 50 employees have not had to deal with federal family medical leave regulations and thus are treading into uncharted waters.

“They’re going to have to start thinking about how they’re going to manage this from a staffing perspective,” he said, adding that he is expecting a number of queries along these lines at the May 21 conference and the months to follow.

“Employers have to start thinking about this and getting ready for this now because of how generous the leave portion of this is,” he explained. “This is going to be a real challenge for employers.”

But overall, it’s just one of many challenges facing employers in the wake of the #metoo movement and other forces within employment law, all of which can have a significant impact on a business and its relative health and well-being.

Handling requests for reasonable accommodations is another area of concern, he noted, and that’s why the conference will feature a panel of experts addressing what has become a somewhat tricky subject for many business owners and managers.

“Someone has a medical impairment, and they need a new chair, or someone needs to change their schedule — they can’t work mornings anymore — or whatever the change in job structure they’re requesting … these matters can get complicated,” he explained. “How do companies handle these requests? Do they have to grant them? How do they work with employees? These are all questions this panel will address.”

For more information on the conference, visit skoler-abbott.com/training-programs.

— George O’Brien