Oakland County adopts changes to personal leave to align with Michigan Earned Sick Time Act

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted to adopt a change to Merit Rule 24 that front‑loads personal leave for new full‑time nonunion employees and updates the county’s leave language to align administration with the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA).

An HR presenter identified as a county HR staff member explained the changes during the meeting, saying the county currently gives new hires five personal days and relies on a mix of front‑loaded personal leave and annual vacation accruals to meet ESTA requirements. The HR presenter told commissioners the proposed change would front‑load 10 personal days at hire and each year thereafter for full‑time nonunion employees, retain a 15‑day carryover cap and preserve the county’s existing rule that personal leave has no cash value at termination.

Why this matters: the presenter said the change both simplifies county administration and aligns leave definitions and notice requirements with state law. Under ESTA, employers must meet specific notice and reinstatement rules; staff said the proposed Merit Rule 24 text clarifies eligible uses of personal leave (to match ESTA’s broader allowed reasons), clarifies distinctions among full‑time, part‑time and seasonal employees, defines the county’s ESTA calendar year and includes the state’s reinstatement requirement (reinstating earned unused time if an employee returns within two months).

Commissioners’ questions and votes: Commissioners pressed staff on payout practices and carryover rules. Commissioner Luebbs confirmed the proposal would apply only to full‑time nonunion employees initially and that six bargaining unit contracts will be renegotiated later to address ESTA compliance in those contracts. When asked about cash payout, staff said personal leave will continue to be non‑cashable while annual leave remains subject to cash out per existing rules. A motion to adopt the updated Merit Rule 24 language was moved by Commissioner Luebbs, seconded by Commissioner Taylor; the roll call was recorded as five ayes, zero nays and the motion passed.

Details recorded on the record: staff summarized that the change is designed to simplify recordkeeping by designating personal leave as the ESTA‑designated leave bank rather than requiring employees and administrators to track uses across separate accruals. Staff also noted ESTA requires employers to define their calendar year for earned sick time and said the county will use the calendar year.

Ending: The rule change applies initially to full‑time nonunion employees; staff said the county will address bargaining units during upcoming contract negotiations.