Tag: Philadelphia

Philadelphia City Council Passes Ordinance Requiring Paid Leave for COVID-19 Leave

Rebecca J. Reist

On March 3, 2022, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance amending the City’s Public Health Emergency Leave Law that requires many Philadelphia employers to provide their employees with paid leave for absences related to COVID-19. Mayor Jim Kenney signed the bill on March 9, 2022, and it went into effect immediately after signing. The ordinance provides that employees may use this new paid COVID-19 leave for their inability to work based on one or more of the following reasons:

      • the employee’s presence on the job or in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the employee’s exposure to COVID-19, or because the employee is exhibiting symptoms, regardless of whether the employee has been diagnosed with or has tested positive for COVID-19;
      • to care for a family member who has been exposed to COVID-19 or who exhibits symptoms that may jeopardize the health of others, regardless of whether the family member has been diagnosed or having tested positive for COVID-19;
      • to self-isolate because the employee was diagnosed or tested positive for COVID-19, because the employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or to seek medical care if experiencing symptoms of an illness related to COVID-19;
      • to care for a family member who is self-isolating because the family member was diagnosed or tested positive for COVID-19, because the family member is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or to seek medical care if experiencing symptoms of an illness related to COVID-19;
      • to care for a child if their school has been closed or their childcare provider is unavailable due to precautions taken in response to COVID-19;
      • to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination or booster; or
      • to recover from any side effect related to a COVID-19 vaccination.
Continue reading “Philadelphia City Council Passes Ordinance Requiring Paid Leave for COVID-19 Leave”

Philly’s Salary History Ban to Be Enforced Starting in September

Asima J. Ahmad

As outlined in a previous post, the Philadelphia Wage Equity Ordinance is back in play. And now that the litigation dust has settled, the city announced that the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (“PCHR”) will begin enforcing the ordinance on September 1, 2020.

As a reminder, the Ordinance prohibits all employers, employment agencies, or their agents from asking about a job applicant’s current or prior salary history during the application or hiring process if the position is located in Philadelphia. Shortly after the salary history ban was announced, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia sued to block it from going into effect on free speech grounds. The case proceeded to the Third Circuit, which ultimately held that the ordinance was constitutional in a unanimous decision issued this February.

The PCHR recently issued a set of FAQs which provide some useful information for employers, including whether the ordinance applies to internal candidates (no), whether an employer can rely on market data for salaries (yes), and whether an employer can ask a job applicant about their salary expectations (yes, but employers should not ask candidates if their salary “expectation” is tied to their current or prior salary history). The FAQs also outline suggested best practices for compliance, including:

    • Focusing questions on the applicant’s salary demands, experience, skills, and qualifications during the interview process;
    • Establishing salary ranges or pay scales for open positions;
    • Creating or modifying written policies to reflect compliance with the ordinance;
    • Training interviewers, hiring staff, and other applicable staff regarding compliance;
    • Refraining from seeking prior salary history from other sources, including a former employer or public records;
    • Instructing background reporting agencies to exclude information found regarding an applicant’s salary history; and
    • Developing protocols for discarding or isolating salary information that employers inadvertently receive but are prohibited from considering.

Job applicants who are asked about their salary history in violation of the ordinance can file a complaint with the PCHR and may be awarded compensatory damages, punitive damages, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, injunctive relief, or other relief. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against applicants who refuse to provide their salary history.

We recommend contacting a member of Blank Rome’s Labor & Employment team as soon as possible to ensure that your hiring process and practices follow the ordinance’s requirements, and that your staff understands the do’s and don’ts of the new law. We are happy to answer any questions about compliance or updating your policies and procedures, or to schedule a training.

NEWS FLASH: The Ban Is Back! Philadelphia Employers Can’t Ask About Salary, Wage, and Benefits History

Thomas J. Szymanski

Effective immediately, Philadelphia employers are prohibited from asking job applicants about their salary, wage, and benefits history.

As a bit of background, in 2016, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance banning salary, wage, and benefits history inquiries by employers (and also barring employers from setting a new hire’s initial pay based on their salary history), which was signed into law in January 2017. However, the ban on salary and wage history inquiries has been on ice since April 30, 2018, when it was enjoined by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit dissolved the district court’s injunction; therefore, Philadelphia employers must immediately stop asking job applicants about their salary, wage, and benefits history. The Third Circuit also upheld the lawfulness of the ordinance’s bar on using salary history to set initial pay.

Please contact a member of Blank Rome’s Labor & Employment practice group if you have any questions about compliance with Philadelphia’s salary, wage, and benefits ban or any other employment issues.

Philadelphia City Council Passes “Fair Workweek” Bill and Votes to Increase Minimum Wage for City Workers and Contractors

Andrew A. Napier

On December 6, the Philadelphia City Council passed two pieces of legislation that already are being touted as altering the landscape for workers in the city, especially those in the service industry.

“Fair Workweek” Bill

The “Fair Workweek” Bill, introduced by Councilwoman Helen Gym in June, applies to large chain businesses with more than 250 employees in the retail, food, or hospitality sectors, and at least 30 locations across the country or state (“Covered Employers”). If signed it would go into effect on January 1, 2020, and will require Covered Employers to give employees (including full-time, part-time, and seasonal and temporary workers) who work within the geographical boundaries of the City, 10 days’ advance notice of their work schedule. The amount of advance notice will increase to 14 days beginning January 1, 2021. An employee may decline, without penalty, any shift that occurs less than nine hours after the end of a shift, and if the employee agrees to work the shift, the employer must pay the employee an extra $40 per shift. Continue reading “Philadelphia City Council Passes “Fair Workweek” Bill and Votes to Increase Minimum Wage for City Workers and Contractors”

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