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The continuation of medical coverage is an important consideration when an employee goes on leave under the Arizona FMLA law. Most workers pay their health insurances through payroll deductions, but when they are on unpaid leave, they stop paying. A common way to solve this problem is to make an agreement that the employer will continue paying the insurance premiums. The employee must repay the employee with salary deductions when they return to work.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a law that protects employees from losing their jobs when they have to take time off to deal with an emergency. Prior to the enactment of this law, an employee could lose their job if he or she had to leave the workplace to attend to a personal or family crisis. Under certain conditions, the FMLA allows the worker to take up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid leave. Some of the situations that are covered by the law are health emergencies (of the employee, a parent or a child), the birth of a baby, and the placement of a foster child.

At this time of year, with Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, it’s a great time to keep the FMLA laws in mind. Posters with information on the benefits must be placed at a visible location in every office in the country. Nobody is exempt from family emergencies or hard times. Anyone can have an accident or become ill. This law exists to protect our jobs in times of trial.

The law usually referred to as the Arizona FMLA is actually a federal law. Some other states have opted to adopt separate FMLA laws. Often, those laws offer greater job protection or even paid benefits for workers on leave. In other states, FMLA laws extend similar benefits to state workers. Time spent on active military duty also counts towards hours at work to qualify for FMLA.

Arizona does not have its own law on the books concerning holiday pay for its workers. Whether or not employers pay employees holiday pay is solely at the employer’s discretion and enforcement is provided by the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA). They do, however, have to comply with the federal laws determined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), instituted in 1938, established a national minimum wage for employees, guaranteed time and a half for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors. The FLSA does not require payment for time the employee does not work, including vacations and holidays. Holiday pay is generally agreed upon between the employer and the employee. There are exceptions for some salaried employees working in executive, administrative, professional and administrative positions as well as certain employees in computer-related positions. These employees must meet certain standards as well as being paid on a salaried basis at not less than $455 per week. An employee’s specific duties and salary must meet all the federal requirements in order to be exempt from the overtime rules including holiday pay.

The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) was created in 1925 in response to the establishment of a workers’ compensation system. Over the years, the ICA’s duties have expanded to include such issues as occupational safety, health, compliance responsibilities for youth employment laws, wage dispute resolution, injured workers issues, and workers’ compensation. Funded by an annual tax on workers’ compensation premiums, the ICA is overseen by a commission appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Arizona State Senate. Their goal is to enforce all applicable laws and regulations regarding “the protection of life, health, safety and welfare of employees within the state.”