Minnesota law clarification could soon mandate paid time off for flight crews

(St. Paul, MN) -- Flight crews in Minnesota may soon benefit from a 2023 law that mandated paid time off for employees in the state. 

The Minnesota House viewed and progressed a bill concerning the addition of flight crews to a list of employees that would benefit from the state's new sick and safe time law. In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that guaranteed sick and safe time for employees who work in Minnesota.  This includes full-time, part-time, and temporary workers. However, the legislation did not include flight crews. 

“We’ve heard stories across Minnesota about workers being moved to tears when they were able to take that first day of paid time off,” said Representative Liz Olson (DFL-Duluth). “It’s what we had hoped for to make sure workers had access to the benefit is underway.”

The bill as proposed would offer additional changes.

• add compliance enforcement to the Department of Labor and Industry;
• authorize the Department of Labor and Industry to make rules for the purposes of carrying out the law’s provisions;
• make an employer liable to each employee who does not receive or is not allowed to use earned time off, and sets damages; and
• allow an employer to choose a reasonable system to report the use and availability of available hours available to employees.

Representative Isaac Schults (R-Elmdale Township) offered some criticisms of the bill through the lense of part-time workers, saying the bill as written would hurt small businesses through the public sector and schools. 

You can find more information about the sick and safe time law discussions by clicking here.