Page 11 - Minnesota Vol 8 No 3

ception of and during employment. ese include requirements to record whether each employee is paid by the hour, shi , day, week, salary, piece, or commission, as well as recording any personnel policies provided to em- ployees. Notices to employees must be in English and the employee’s na- tive language. e employer must keep a copy of the employee- signed notice. Finally, any changes to policies or work expectations may be made on seven days written notice to the em- ployee, which the employee must sign before the changes go into e ect.
NO. 4: HF 11 proposes earned sick and safe time similar to the ordinanc- es in force in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It permits an employee to earn up to 48 hours per year in sick and safe time leave and provides a cause of action for retaliation for “all damages recoverable by law.”
NO. 5: HF 13 proposes amending the Minnesota Constitution to add “Equal- ityunderthelawshallnotbeabridged or denied on account of gender.”
NO. 6: SF 120 prohibits discrimina- tion against unemployed individuals and generally forbids an employer from considering an applicant’s un- employed status as a factor in refusing to hire.
NO. 7: SF 736, entitled the “Fair Scheduling Act,” like HF 6, places burdens on employers to provide written statements to employees de- scribing the terms and conditions of employment. In addition, it requires employers to:
• Provide employees with adequate notice of their work schedules and any changes of such schedules;
• Consider employee requests for a “ exible working arrangement” and engage in an interactive process with employees who make these requests;
• Provide employees with “predict- ability pay” compensation when the employer changes their shi hours or start or end times;
•Refrain from discriminating against employees based upon the
number of hours they are sched-
uled to work; and
• Refrain from retaliating against
employees who assert their fair scheduling rights, or who assist or inform another person about such rights.
SF 736 gives employees the right to decline work hours that occur within 11 hours of their previous shi , as well as various remedies, including compensatory and liquidated dam- ages, injunctive and equitable relief, attorney’s fees and costs.
e House holds a 16-seat Demo- crat majority while the Senate holds a 35-32 Republican majority. With many of these bills likely passing the House and having no consideration in the Senate, the Minnesota Legisla- ture promises to be a lively forum for disagreement. Without compromise, it would be unlikely any of these bills will become Minnesota law in 2019.