Employers Must be Able to Design Leave Polices that Best Fit Their Workforce

For Immediate Release

Washington, DC – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today submitted a letter to the Industrial Commission of Arizona asking for amendments to the proposed rules that coincide with the state’s newly passed paid sick leave law, the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act.

ERIC, the only national association that advocates exclusively for large employers on health, retirement, and compensation public policies at the state, federal, and local levels, understands the importance of paid sick leave. However, ERIC members—many of whom have employees in multiple states—need consistent guidelines in order to provide high-quality paid sick leave policies to all employees, no matter their location.

In its letter, ERIC asked the Commission to provide an additional option for handling the carryover of unused leave. The proposed rules in their current form allow employers to choose from two options:  the carryover of 40 hours of unused time or employers can choose a “cash out” option and compensate employees rather than allowing them to carryover unused time. ERIC asked that the Commission to add a third option allowing for carryover only if the employer does not offer all available sick leave upfront. By adding this option, employers would be able to avoid altering and potentially decreasing benefits for all employees, and would not have to incur the financial burden of an employee’s decision not to use leave that he or she has earned.

“Large employers have been providing quality paid leave programs for years and it is imperative that they continue to be allowed to provide those benefits without additional administrative requirements if they already meet or exceed Arizona’s paid sick leave standards,” said Bryan Hum, Retirement and Compensation Policy Associate, ERIC.

Click here to read ERIC’s letter.

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All media inquiries to The ERISA Industry Committee should be directed to media@eric.org.

About The ERISA Industry Committee
ERIC is a national advocacy organization that exclusively represents large employers that provide health, retirement, paid leave, and other benefits to their nationwide workforces. With member companies that are leaders in every sector of the economy, ERIC advocates on the federal, state, and local levels for policies that promote flexibility and uniformity in the administration of their employee benefit plans.