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Summary of Question 4
This proposed law would entitle employees in Massachusetts to earn and use sick time according to certain conditions. Employees who work for employers having eleven or more employees could earn and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per calendar year, while employees working for smaller employers could earn and use up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time per calendar year. An employee could use earned sick time if required to miss work in order (1) to care for a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition affecting the employee or the employee's child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse; (2) to attend routine medical appointments of the employee or the employee's child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse; or (3) to address the effects of domestic violence on the employee or the employee's dependent child. Employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, and would begin accruing those hours on the date of hire or on July 1, 2015, whichever is later. Employees could begin to use earned sick time on the 90th day after hire. The proposed law would cover both private and public employers, except that employees of a particular city or town would be covered only if, as required by the state constitution, the proposed law were made applicable by local or state legislative vote or by appropriation of sufficient funds to pay for the benefit. Earned paid sick time would be compensated at the same hourly rate paid to the employee when the sick time is used. Employees could carry over up to 40 hours of unused sick time to the next calendar year, but could not use more than 40 hours in a calendar year. Employers would not have to pay employees for unused sick time at the end of their employment. If an employee missed work for a reason eligible for earned sick time, but agreed with the employer to work the same number of hours or shifts in the same or next pay period, the employee would not have to use earned sick time for the missed time, and the employer would not have to pay for that missed time. Employers would be prohibited from requiring such an employee to work additional hours to make up for missed time, or to find a replacement employee. Employers could require certification of the need for sick time if an employee used sick time for more than 24 consecutively scheduled work hours. Employers could not delay the taking of or payment for earned sick time because they have not received the certification. Employees would have to make a good faith effort to notify the employer in advance if the need for earned sick time is foreseeable. Employers would be prohibited from interfering with or retaliating based on an employee's exercise of earned sick time rights, and from retaliating based on an employee's support of another employee's exercise of such rights. The proposed law would not override employers' obligations under any contract or benefit plan with more generous provisions than those in the proposed law. Employers that have their own policies providing as much paid time off, usable for the same purposes and under the same conditions, as the proposed law would not be required to provide additional paid sick time. The Attorney General would enforce the proposed law, using the same enforcement procedures applicable to other state wage laws, and employees could file suits in court to enforce their earned sick time rights. The Attorney General would have to prepare a multilingual notice regarding the right to earned sick time, and employers would be required to post the notice in a conspicuous location and to provide a copy to employees. The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General, would develop a multilingual outreach program to inform the public of the availability of earned sick time. The proposed law would take effect on July 1, 2015, and states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

2014 - Middlesex County - Question 4Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 6, 2014?

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Middlesex County Results
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City/Town Ward Pct Blanks Total Votes Cast
Totals
316,206
198,096
17,377 531,679
Acton More »
 
5,504
3,046
186
8,736
Arlington More »
 
13,604
5,543
594
19,741
Ashby
 
655
527
122
1,304
Ashland More »
 
3,300
2,274
162
5,736
Ayer More »
 
1,406
1,035
49
2,490
Bedford More »
 
3,222
2,271
171
5,664
Belmont More »
 
6,515
3,522
308
10,345
Billerica More »
 
7,337
6,653
244
14,234
Boxborough
 
1,167
888
47
2,102
Burlington More »
 
4,765
4,323
246
9,334
Cambridge More »
 
25,554
5,562
1,609
32,725
Carlisle
 
1,271
1,049
221
2,541
Chelmsford More »
 
7,219
6,636
323
14,178
Concord More »
 
4,946
3,039
289
8,274
Dracut More »
 
5,078
5,272
280
10,630
Dunstable
 
650
715
29
1,394
Everett More »
 
5,572
3,269
539
9,380
Framingham More »
 
11,573
6,858
578
19,009
Groton More »
 
2,348
1,927
237
4,512
Holliston More »
 
3,383
2,594
160
6,137
Hopkinton More »
 
3,224
2,889
162
6,275
Hudson More »
 
3,809
3,093
262
7,164
Lexington More »
 
8,520
4,236
545
13,301
Lincoln More »
 
1,806
897
86
2,789
Littleton More »
 
2,224
1,778
94
4,096
Lowell More »
 
13,155
7,563
550
21,268
Malden More »
 
8,837
4,669
719
14,225
Marlborough More »
 
6,518
4,845
310
11,673
Maynard More »
 
2,641
1,550
124
4,315
Medford More »
 
12,298
6,234
1,020
19,552
Melrose More »
 
7,065
4,427
340
11,832
Natick More »
 
8,178
5,168
334
13,680
Newton More »
 
21,386
10,117
1,516
33,019
N. Reading More »
 
2,897
3,267
107
6,271
Pepperell More »
 
2,336
2,151
96
4,583
Reading More »
 
5,564
5,033
194
10,791
Sherborn
 
1,045
927
57
2,029
Shirley
 
1,143
984
151
2,278
Somerville More »
 
17,833
4,183
828
22,844
Stoneham More »
 
4,820
4,133
284
9,237
Stow More »
 
1,755
1,406
58
3,219
Sudbury More »
 
4,125
3,282
164
7,571
Tewksbury More »
 
5,621
5,578
213
11,412
Townsend More »
 
1,638
1,603
64
3,305
Tyngsborough More »
 
2,195
2,223
103
4,521
Wakefield More »
 
5,513
5,041
241
10,795
Waltham More »
 
9,914
6,159
698
16,771
Watertown More »
 
7,943
3,424
351
11,718
Wayland More »
 
3,399
2,326
176
5,901
Westford More »
 
4,790
4,348
165
9,303
Weston More »
 
2,252
2,354
125
4,731
Wilmington More »
 
4,605
4,242
215
9,062
Winchester More »
 
5,051
4,493
240
9,784
Woburn More »
 
7,037
6,470
391
13,898
County Totals
316,206
198,096
17,377 531,679