Portland Mandate Catches Vancouver Businesses Off-Guard

Clarence Belnavis was quoted in the Vancouver Business Journal on Dec. 27, 2013.

A new ordinance passed by the city of Portland will require all non-governmental employers with at least six employees to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to any employees who work in Portland for more than 240 hours a year.

“A small Vancouver company with a single employee who telecommutes only one day per week from their home in Portland now has to grapple with this law,” said Clarence. “The salesperson who regularly meets clients for lunch or coffee in Portland may also be covered. The reality is that Washington employers need to review the nature of the work being performed by their employees to verify which individuals are covered.”

Portland will join Seattle, San Francisco, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. as the only jurisdictions in the United States that require employers to provide sick leave.