Maine

Starting January 1, 2021, Maine adopted an Earned Paid Sick Leave benefits program (“program”). This program offers Full-Time and Part-Time employees who work in the State of Maine the opportunity to earn up to 40 hours of annual paid sick leave.  Seasonal workers are excluded from this program.

Benefit Eligibility

Starting January 1, 2020, the law requires Employees to begin earning one hour for every 40 hours worked from the time of employment to qualify to apply to take paid leave, capped at 40 hours per year.

In order to receive benefits, employees will need to be employed at Follett for a minimum of 120 calendar days and provide Follett the intent to request leave 4 weeks prior to the beginning of leave.  Accrued hours, and time used, will be tracked in ADP WFM.

If you qualify, this program will permit you to take leave for reasons outside of illness, in the event of an emergency, illness, or sudden necessity, as long as the employee gives Follett reasonable notice, and at the time requested, it does not cause undue hardship for the Company.  Follett can ask an employee to provide a general reason prior to taking the leave. Follett may also require that a leave not be approved identifying times of the year, month, or week that leave may be restricted due to operational needs, other than leave for an emergency, illness, or sudden necessity.

Per the law, any unused hours in the previous calendar year will carry over to the following calendar year and is capped at a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year.

If Follett paid sick time or PTO is a more generous leave entitlement policy, Follett’s policy will supersede.

Benefit Details

Employers must pay employees their regular base of pay, including bonuses and commissions.

Salaried exempt employees are paid a predetermined fixed amount, and their base rate of pay is the hourly equivalent of their salary. The base rate of pay for nonexempt employees is calculated by dividing the total straight-time earnings for the week, in the previous pay period, including any additional compensation in the definition of the regular rate, by the total hours worked.

If you take the leave, you are required to notify your Manager or Corporate Benefits and enter your hours in ADP WFM prior to taking the leave. An employee will not continue to accrue Earned Paid Leave while out on paid or unpaid leave.

Follett must also maintain employees’ benefits (e.g., health insurance) for employees on leave. Employees cannot lose accrued employee benefits if they take paid leave.

Job Protection

Employees who are approved for leave under this program are entitled to job restoration when they return from leave if they comply with Company policies and procedures.

Additional Information

• The Maine Department of Labor (DOL) announced it had adopted final rules for the earned paid leave found on the state website. 
• The Maine DOL also released a set of FAQs.

To request leave, please speak to your Manager or contact Corporate Benefits