Amendments to D.C.’s Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act: What it Means for Your Organization

Earlier this year, Mayor Vincent C. Gray signed the Earned Sick and Safe Leave Amendment Act of 2013, which significantly amends the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act (ASSLA). In particular, the amendment provides:

• That an individual accrues paid leave from the beginning of employment and may begin to access it after 90 days of service;


• That tipped restaurant wait staff are employees eligible for sick leave;


• For greater protection against retaliation for employees who exercise their rights under the ASSLA;


• For new record keeping requirements;


• For new enforcement provisions, including penalties on employers for non-compliance;


• For a repeal of the provisions that limited an employee's right to carry over his or her accrued sick leave from year to year; and


• That an employer may provide employees with payment of their accrued sick leave upon termination of employment.

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program has prepared a summary of the amendment in this legal alert, D.C. Sick and Safe Leave Law: What a Nonprofit Needs to Know.