 Wage and Hour Bulletin
June 2023
Workplace rights to be expanded for expectant, new parents
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's (DLI's) Labor Standards Division assists workers and employers in understanding their workplace rights and protections and investigates violations of labor laws.
Recent legislative changes affecting workers and employers in Minnesota include changes to an existing law that provides workplace rights and protections to new and expectant parents, as well as a new earned sick and safe time law.
Below is a brief overview of the 2023 legislative session laws related to Labor Standards. View the full bill language in Senate File 3035/Ch. 53.
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Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA) changes; new employee notice required
Effective July 1, 2023, workplace protections for expectant and new parents will expand. Changes include:
- Requiring all nursing and lactating employees to receive break times to express milk regardless of their child's age without losing compensation.
- Ensuring employees can choose when to take break time to express milk based on their needs, whether that means expressing milk during an existing paid break time, during an existing unpaid break time, such as a meal break, or during some other time.
- Requiring employers to notify all employees of the rights of pregnant and lactating employees when hired, when an employee makes an inquiry about or requests parental leave and in an employee handbook if one is provided. The notice must be provided in English and the primary language of the employee. DLI makes the required notice language available for employers in English and the five most common languages spoken in Minnesota.
See additional WESA changes at dli.mn.gov/newparents.
Earned sick and safe leave requirements
Effective Jan. 1, 2024, Minnesota's earned sick and safe time law requires employers to provide paid leave to employees who work in the state. In addition, employers are required to:
- include the total number of earned sick and safe time hours accrued and available for use, as well as the total number of earned sick and safe time hours used, on earnings statements provided to employees at the end of each pay period;
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provide employees with a notice by Jan. 1, 2024 -- or at the start of employment, whichever is later -- in English and in an employee's primary language if that is not English, informing them about earned sick and safe time; and
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include a sick and safe time notice in the employee handbook, if the employer has an employee handbook.
Learn more at dli.mn.gov/sick-leave. Additional resources will be added as they become available.
Workplace notices and posters page
The DLI "Workplace notices and posters" webpage helps employers understand which notices and posters they are required to provide to their employees or display.
The page includes translated notices and posters. Additional notices and posters will be added as they become available.
Visit: dli.mn.gov/posters.
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Wage and Hour Bulletin archive
Find past editions of The Wage and Hour Bulletin at dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/minnesota-wage-and-hour-bulletin.
Questions?
Labor Standards serves the people of Minnesota by providing information about the state's wage, hour and employment laws.
Phone: 651-284-5075 or 800-342-5354 Email: dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us Website: dli.mn.gov/laborlaw
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