Minnesota Your Rights As A Working Parent Labor Law Poster

[laborlaw]

Minnesota law requires an employer to provide up to six weeks of unpaid parental leave to a mother or father upon the birth or adoption of a child if:

• the company employs 21 or more employees at any one site and you:

— work at least half time and have been with the company for at least 12 consecutive months.

What you should know
• The leave must begin at a time requested by the employee.
• The employer may adopt reasonable policies governing the timing of requests for leave.
• The leave may begin not more than six weeks after the birth or adoption.
• The leave can be reduced by any period of paid parental or disability leave, but not accrued sick leave, so that total time off does not exceed six weeks unless the employer agrees.
• Your health insurance through your employer must be continued during your leave. You may be asked to pay for this
coverage.
• While you are pregnant, you may be entitled to any sick leave or disability leave your company may offer if you are sick during your pregnancy or to recover after childbirth.
• If you take a parental leave, your employer cannot retaliate against you for requesting or taking a leave.
When you return to work
Employees are entitled to employment in their former position or one with comparable duties, number of hours and pay. You are also entitled to the same benefits and seniority you had before the leave.

Employees may return to work part-time during the leave without forfeiting the right to return to full-time work at the end of the leave.

Other working-parent rights
Caring for sick children
If you work at least half time, you are allowed to use your accrued sick leave to care for your sick child.
Visiting school and early childhood programs
Every employee is entitled to take up to 16 hours unpaid leave a year to attend their children’s school conferences,
classroom activities, child care or other early childhood program. Employees may use vacation time.
Nursing mothers
An employee must be provided reasonable unpaid break time to express breast milk for her child. Breaks already provided may fulfill this requirement. Employers are not required to provide this time if doing so would seriously disrupt operations. The employer must also make reasonable efforts to provide a private area for this purpose, other than a toilet stall.

More information
Further information about Minnesota employment law may be obtained from the Department of Labor and Industry.