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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 - Norfolk 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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Norfolk County Results
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City/Town Ward Pct Blanks Total Votes Cast
Totals
143,042
103,731
7,454 254,227
Avon
 
932
715
53
1,700
Bellingham More »
 
3,121
2,413
128
5,662
Braintree More »
 
7,685
6,169
563
14,417
Brookline More »
 
13,573
4,586
690
18,849
Canton More »
 
4,514
4,031
229
8,774
Cohasset More »
 
1,709
1,785
125
3,619
Dedham More »
 
5,580
4,014
301
9,895
Dover
 
1,182
1,460
76
2,718
Foxborough More »
 
3,626
3,292
141
7,059
Franklin More »
 
6,350
5,575
342
12,267
Holbrook More »
 
2,486
1,707
154
4,347
Medfield More »
 
2,684
2,696
142
5,522
Medway More »
 
2,805
2,306
122
5,233
Millis More »
 
1,882
1,586
60
3,528
Milton More »
 
6,822
4,584
430
11,836
Needham More »
 
7,757
5,267
387
13,411
Norfolk More »
 
2,034
2,142
84
4,260
Norwood More »
 
5,735
4,575
342
10,652
Plainville More »
 
1,743
1,590
71
3,404
Quincy More »
 
16,858
9,944
477
27,279
Randolph More »
 
5,910
3,001
513
9,424
Sharon More »
 
4,242
2,680
183
7,105
Stoughton More »
 
5,259
3,881
297
9,437
Walpole More »
 
5,313
5,158
301
10,772
Wellesley More »
 
6,005
4,790
436
11,231
Westwood More »
 
3,353
3,317
222
6,892
Weymouth More »
 
11,562
8,259
495
20,316
Wrentham More »
 
2,320
2,208
90
4,618
County Totals
143,042
103,731
7,454 254,227