The Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) in Michigan, starting on February 21, 2025, helps workers get paid sick leave for health reasons. Most employees, including part-time and seasonal workers, can earn up to 72 hours of paid sick leave each year. Most small businesses with fewer than 10 employees can get 40 hours of paid sick leave and 32 hours of unpaid leave.
How the act works
Under this law, workers can use earned sick time for several reasons. They can take time off if they or a family member, a child, parent, sibling, or grandparent, is ill or needs medical care. This includes going to the doctor or getting treatment for an illness or injury.
Employees can also use this time if they or their family members are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. In these cases, the law allows time off for:
- Medical care
- Counseling
- Legal services
Employees can also take time off for school meetings about a child’s health or disability. If a public health emergency closes a school or workplace, caretakers can use their sick time to care for a child. The law also protects employees from having to find someone to cover their shifts when they take time off.
Who counts as family?
The Earned Sick Time Act has a broad definition of family. It includes:
- Biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, a child of a domestic
partner, or a child to whom the employee stands in loco parents. - Biological parent, foster parent, stepparent, or adoptive parent or a legal guardian of
an employee or an employee’s spouse or domestic partner or a person who stood in
loco parentis when the employee was a minor child. - Grandparent.
- Grandchild.
- Biological, foster, or adopted sibling.
- Any other individual related by blood.
- “Domestic partner” means an adult in a committed relationship with another adult,
including both same-sex and different-sex relationships. - “Committed relationship” means one in which the employee and another individual
share responsibility for a significant measure of each other’s common welfare, such
as any relationship between individuals of the same or different sex that is granted
legal recognition by a state, political subdivision, or the District of Columbia as a
marriage or analogous relationship, including, but not limited to, a civil union.
It also covers anyone related by blood or with a close family-like relationship with the employee. This means caregivers who are not parents can still use the benefits of this law.
For example, grandparents can use earned sick time to take their grandchildren to doctor appointments or care for them during illnesses. Siblings can take time off work to help a brother or sister recovering from surgery or dealing with a chronic condition.
Get advice you can trust
Understanding all the details of this law can be challenging. If you are a caregiver, seeking legal advice might be a good idea. An experienced lawyer can help you understand your rights and make sure you get the benefits you deserve. They can also assist if you face any issues with your employer about using earned sick time.