Last week, Governor Walz signed off on a bill providing for “Frontline Worker Pay,” which will provide $1,500 payments to Minnesota workers who spent at least 120 hours in Minnesota in one or more frontline sector jobs between March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021. The bill was the subject of much debate in the Minnesota legislature, with both sides jockeying to create the most appropriate bill to reward frontline workers for their efforts during the (ongoing) COVID-19 pandemic.
The following sectors have employees who will be eligible for frontline worker pay if they meet the other requirements for Frontline Worker Pay:
- long-term care and home care;
- health care;
- emergency responders;
- public health, social service, and regulatory service;
- courts and corrections;
- child care;
- schools, including charter schools, state schools and higher education;
- food service, including production, processing, preparation, sale and delivery;
- retail, including sales, fulfillment, distribution and delivery;
- temporary shelters and hotels;
- building services, including maintenance, janitorial and security;
- public transit;
- ground and air transportation services;
- manufacturing; and
- vocational rehabilitation
In order to be eligible for the payment, employees must not have been able to telework due to the nature of the individual’s work and must have worked in close proximity to people outside of the applicant’s household. The applicants must not have received unemployment insurance benefits or served a “nonpayable week” for more than 20 weeks, cumulatively, during the applicable period, and must have earned less than the income thresholds established under the bill in either the 2020 or 2021 tax years.
As far as employer responsibility goes, once it is announced that workers from frontline sectors can begin applying for the pay, employers from the sectors listed above must provide notice to all current workers who may be eligible for payments. The Department of Labor and Industry will be supplying a form that can be used by employers to meet their obligations, so keep your eyes peeled for that in the near future.
We’ve waited a long time for this legislation to finally make its way to workers, and while this assistance probably won’t help any employers with contract negotiations or worker retention, it will help those who were willing to sacrifice their own safety to keep businesses and service providers running throughout the pandemic. We’ll keep our eyes on this bill for further developments, and anything else affecting employers coming out of this year’s legislative session. If you or your organization need assistance in applying the latest legislation from the state or federal government, contact Wiley Reber Law, for legal advice that works.