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Required Notice of CT Paid Sick Leave ("CT PSL")

Fairfield University complies with the requirements of the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave ("CT PSL") law by providing up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per benefit year to qualifying employees. This policy sets forth the parameters regarding the accrual and use of paid sick leave.

Covered employees
All employees are covered by the paid sick leave law, including full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, hourly and salaried exempt employees, except:
  • Seasonal employees – those employees who work only 120 days or less per year.
  • Employees who are members of construction-related tradesperson employee organizations that are part of a multiemployer health plan maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between a construction-related tradesperson employee organization(s) and employer.
Basics
  • Current employees - paid sick leave begins accruing on January 1, 2025
  • Employees hired after January 1, 2025 – accrual begins on first day of work
  • The accrual is at a rate of 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per benefit year
  • The “benefit year” is the period from January 1st through December 31st 
  • Per CT PSL, employees may use CT PSL on or after 120 calendar days of employment, however, the University will allow employees to use CT PSL immediately upon accruing.
  • Employees may use accrued paid sick leave in 0.25 hour increments.
  • If an employee has not used all of their accrued paid sick leave in the current benefit year, they may carry over up to 40 unused accrued hours from the current benefit year to the following benefit year; OR
  • Each employee will be provided the forthcoming year’s entitlement at the beginning of the benefit year.
Use of Leave
(1) An employee may use paid sick leave for his or her own:
  • illness, injury or health condition;
  • the medical diagnosis, care or treatment of his or her mental or physical illness, injury or health condition;
  • preventative medical care; or
  • mental health wellness day
(2) An employee may use paid sick leave for a family member's:
  • illness, injury or health condition;
  • the medical diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; or
  • preventative medical care
(3) An employee may use paid sick leave for closure by order of a public official, due to a public health emergency, of either:
  • an employer's place of business; or
  • a family member's school or place of care
(4) An employee may use paid sick leave when a health authority, the employer of the employee or the employee’s family member, or a health care provider determines that the employee or the employee’s family member poses a risk to the health of others because of exposure to a communicable disease.

(5) An employee may use paid sick leave if the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault:
  • for medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability;
  • to obtain services from a victim services organization;
  • to relocate due to such family violence or sexual assault;
  • to participate in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from such family violence or sexual assault.
“Family member” - means a spouse, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, or parent of an employee, or an individual who is related to the employee by blood or by an affinity whose close association the employee can show to be equivalent to those family relationships.

Pay
Employees will be paid for the use of sick leave at a pay rate equal to the greater of either:
  • the normal hourly wage for that employee, or
  • the minimum fair wage rate under Connecticut General Statutes sec. 31-58 in effect for the pay period during which the employee used paid sick leave.
Notice and Documentation
Employees are not required to provide advance notice before using paid sick leave. The employer is prohibited from requiring an employee to provide any documentation that paid sick leave is being taken for a reason covered by the paid sick leave law.

There are times when notice and documentation will be required if the employee’s absence(s) are due to a qualifying reason under an applicable state or federal law, including the CT Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA). Paid sick leave and CTFMLA may run concurrently, and if so, the requirements of the CTFMLA must be adhered to by both the employee and employer.

Separation
If an employee has unused accrued paid sick leave at the time of separation, the employer will follow its regular policy regarding pay out of paid time off.

Recordkeeping
Employers must track and keep records of hours worked and paid sick leave accrued and used for every employee as part of its normal record-keeping obligations.

Prohibition of Retaliation or Discrimination
Retaliatory personnel actions or discrimination are prohibited because the employee:
• requests or uses paid sick leave either in accordance with the law; or
• in accordance with the employer's own paid sick leave policy, as the case may be; or
• files a complaint with the CT Department of Labor alleging the employer has violation of
• the law.

Complaint
Any employee aggrieved by a violation of the provisions of the law may file a complaint with the CT Department of Labor. Employees may file a complaint on the CT Department of Labor website: https://portal.ct.gov/dol/divisions/wage-and-workplace-standards/wagecomplaint?
language=en_US


For more information, contact Blythe Josovitz, Director, Benefits & Compensation / x.2995 / bjosovitz@fairfield.edu