Maryland Earned Sick and Safe Leave Employee Notice

The Maryland Healthy Working Families Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide paid sick and safe leave for certain employees. It also requires that employers who employ 14 or fewer employees provide unpaid sick and safe leave for certain employees.

Accrual

Earned sick and safe leave begins to accrue on February 11, 2018, or the date on which an employee begins employment with the employer, whichever is later. An employee accrues earned sick and safe leave at a rate of at least one hour for every 30 hours the employee works; however, an employee is not entitled to earn more than 40 hours of earned sick and safe leave in a year or accrue more than 64 hours of earned sick and safe leave at any time.

Leave Usage

An employee is allowed to use earned sick and safe leave under the following conditions:

• To care for or treat the employee’s mental or physical illness, injury, or condition;
• To obtain preventative medical care for the employee or the employee’s family member;
• To care for a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or condition;
• For maternity or paternity leave; or
• The absence from work is necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking committed against the employee or the employee’s family member and the leave is being used: (1) to obtain medical or mental health attention; (2) to obtain services from a victim services organization; (3) for legal services or proceedings; or (4) because the employee has temporarily relocated as a result of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

A family member includes a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.

Employees are permitted to use earned sick and safe leave in increments in certain amounts established by their employer. Employees are required to give notice of the need to use earned sick and safe leave when it is foreseeable. An employer may deny leave in certain circumstances.

Reporting

Employers are required to provide employees with a written statement of the employee’s available earned sick and safe leave.

Prohibitions

An employer is prohibited under the law from taking adverse action against an employee who exercises a right under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act and an employee is prohibited from making a complaint, bringing an action, or testifying in an action in bad faith.

How to File a Complaint or Obtain Additional Information

If you feel your rights have been violated under this law or you would like additional information, you may contact:

Maryland Department of Labor
1100 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Dial 7-1-1 to place a call through Maryland Relay