Rhode Island Enacts Volunteer Emergency Responder Leave Law: Employment Law Manual Updated

Authors: Melissa Burdorf, Marta Moakley and Beth Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editors

Rhode Island law now requires employers with four or more employees to provide unpaid leave to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians responding to an emergency. This amendment to Rhode Island's Fair Employment Practices law took effect July 15, 2015.

The law prohibits an employer from terminating or otherwise disciplining an employee for failing to report to work at the beginning of his or her regular working hours because the employee is responding to an emergency in his or her capacity as a volunteer member of a fire or ambulance department. An employer is permitted to ask an employee to submit a statement signed by his or her fire or ambulance department chief certifying the date and time the employee responded to and returned from the emergency.

In light of this development, the following Rhode Island sections of the Employment Law Manual have been updated:

• Other Leaves;
• Employee Discipline; and
• EEO-Discrimination.

A Legal Timetable entry has also been added.