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COVID-19 UPDATES & RESOURCES FOR MIDD EMPLOYEES

The health and safety of our employees and their families is our highest priority. We remain hyper vigilant in keeping everyone informed as well as offer the following support initiatives to our entire workforce.

Link: California Department of Public Health: COVID-19 Updates

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_California

When do workers need to wear dust / cloth / surgical masks or N95’s?

  1. Whenever workers will be working within 6 feet of another person, they must wear a mask.
  2. When they cannot work and meet the Social Distancing requirements of staying 6 feet away from each other, they must wear a mask.

Rumor Control

Do your part to stop the spread of disinformation by doing three easy things: don’t believe rumors, don’t pass them along, and go to trusted sources of information and the links below, to get the facts about COVID-19.

Additional Solano County & State Resources

Be Aware of Frauds and Scams

The FBI has seen a rise in fraud schemes related to the coronavirus, including fake Centers for Disease Control (CDC) emails, phishing emails, and counterfeit treatments or equipment. Protect yourself and do your research before clicking links, donating to charities online, making purchases, or providing your personal information.  Inform the Department of Justice of complaints and tips on COVID-19 fraud by calling 877-720-5721 or emailing [email protected].

Source:  https://www.cityofvallejo.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=13506&pageId=27676

MIDD Operational Policies

  1. BUSINESS OPERATIONS
    1. As a designated essential business, MIDD operations are exempt from current shelter in place/stay at home directives and all employees are still expected to perform work as directed by each department’s supervisor/foreman.
    2. MIDD is continuing its best efforts to decrease the spread of COVID-19 and lower the impact in its workplace by following OSHA and CDC guidelines to reduce transmission between employees, maintain healthy business operations, and maintain a health working environment.
  2. REDUCE COVID-19 TRANSMISSION AMONG EMPLOYEES
    1. MIDD strongly encourages all sick employees to stay home.
      1. Employees who have symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath may not come to work, should notify their supervisor, and stay home. Employees with these symptoms should self-quarantine following the CDC recommended guidelines for self-quarantine.
      2. Employees with these symptoms may not return to work until the criteria for quarantine are met in consultation with their healthcare provider, state and local health departments.
      3. Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with these symptoms or who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor immediately and follow CDC recommended precautions.
  3. HIGH RISK AND REMOTE WORKING EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHICS
    1. Older employees (over 65) and those with chronic medical conditions are encouraged to minimize face to face contact between other employees while at work and should communicate with their supervisor/foreman and HR if they need to make alternative work arrangements.
    2. MIDD will provide PPE and/or assign tasks that allow high risk employees to maintain a distance of not less than arm’s length from other workers, when and where feasible, to include customers and visitors that arrive onsite.
    3. MIDD has identified jobs that may be performed remotely and has restructured tasks for specific individuals to accommodate working from home.
  4. SEPARATE SICK EMPLOYEES
    1. Employees who appear to have symptoms as defined earlier upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day will be immediately separated from other employees, customers, vendors, and visitors and will be sent home.
    2. If any employee is confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, MIDD will inform its workforce of possible exposure in the workplace while maintaining confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees will then be encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.  An infrared no contact thermometer gun is available for employee use at the Time Clock Station.
  5. WORKPLACE/WORKSTATION SOCIAL DISTANCING
    1. MIDD Managers will assign work to ensure adequate social distancing between employees so that workers are given plenty of space to work effectively to help minimize exposure. We anticipate all employees to work within an arm’s length of one another.
  6. CLEANING AND SANITIZING
    1. MIDD will continue its cleaning and sanitizing practices on high touch surface areas.
    2. MIDD strongly encourages employees to wash hands and use hand sanitizer regularly throughout the workday.
  7. WAGES, HOURS, ATTENDANCE AND BENEFITS
    1. Attendance
      1. MIDD has relaxed its current attendance policy for ALL employees during novel coronavirus outbreak.
      2. MIDD will not count any unpaid time off or tardiness as an attendance violation due to being sick, taking care of family members who are sick, or to the extent of having to stay home to care for an employee’s children as a result of school closures or daycare unavailability.
      3. All employees regardless of probationary status may use available paid sick leave and banked paid vacation hours during time off as needed. Employees must continue to follow the normal payroll action request procedures.
      4. All employees are still required to follow MIDD’s HR call in procedures to indicate absence and/or tardy situation.
      5. MIDD will monitor the need to extend attendance accommodations beyond April 2020 on a case by case situation or until health, state and/or federal officials announce to the contrary.
  8. FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT: Employee Paid Leave
    1. The newly enacted FFCRA law requires certain employers to provide employees with expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons pertaining to COVID-19. These provisions are effective April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
    2. MIDD is a covered employer under the FFCRA. All employees who meet the eligibility criteria will be provided with emergency paid leave as follows:
      1. Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA)
        1. Full time employees = 80 hours of paid leave calculated at their regular rate of pay or minimum wage whichever is greater, up to the applicable per-day caps noted below.
        2. Part time employees = average number of hours worked over a two-week period.
      2. The EPSLA includes six (6) covered reasons qualifying an employee for emergency paid sick leave (this is in addition to MIDD sick leave program) that also includes rates of pay and a cap on payments to the employee depending on the reason for leave as summarized in the chart below:
        EPSLA – Covered Reason for LeaveRate of PayCap on Payments
        (1) The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID–19The employee’s regular rate of pay (as determined under section 7€ of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 207€).$511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate
        (2) The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID–19The employee’s regular rate of pay (as determined under section 7€ of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 207€).$511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate
        (3) The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID–19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.The employee’s regular rate of pay (as determined under section 7€ of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 207€).$511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate
        (4) The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an order as described in subparagraph (1) or has been advised as described in paragraph (2).Two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay.$200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate
        (5) The employee is caring for a son or daughter of such employee if the school or place of care of the son or daughter has been closed, or the child care provider of such son or daughter is unavailable, due to COVID–19 precautions.Two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay.$200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate
        (6) The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.Two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay.$200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate
      3.  MIDD will not diminish the rights or benefits of its employees provided under any other Federal, State, or local law, collective bargaining agreement or existing MIDD employment policies.
      1. MIDD is not required to pay out any unused EPSLA at time of employment separation nor will unused EPSLA hours be carried over beyond 12-31-20.
      2. Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA)
        1. Up to 12 weeks of EFMLA leave is available to any MIDD employee who has been employed for at least 30 calendar days, is unable to work (or telework) due to due to a need for leave to care for the son or daughter under 18 years of age of such employee if the school or place of care has been closed, or the child care provider of such son or daughter is unavailable, due to a public health emergency (with respect to a COVID-19 declared by a Federal, State, or local authority).
        2. The first 10 days of EFMLA may be unpaid, however employees may substitute other paid leaves during this time, such as EPSLA as an example.
        3. MIDD employees will not be required to use up their regular paid sick leave balance prior to using any EPSLA.
        4. EFMLA is paid at two-thirds of an employee’s regular rate of pay and the number of hours the employee would normally be scheduled to work for up to 12 weeks’ job protected time off, subject to the maximum below.
        5. MIDD employees are entitled to reinstatement to the same position for an equivalent position.
        6. Paid EFMLA shall not exceed $200 per day and $10,000 in the aggregate during designated leave.
  10. LEAVE REQUEST INQUIRIES
    1. Any employee who is experiencing qualifying criteria for paid leave under FFCRA or other statutory paid leave programs such as California PFL, CASDI, and Unemployment benefits is directed to call HR for further discussion and leave designation and processing.
      1. Local Direct: (707) 674-5774
  11. LAYOFFS
      1. MIDD will continue to follow all state, federal (and the IAM Collective Bargaining Agreement) notification and recall requirements if a reduction in force becomes necessary.
  12. HR COVID-19 PROTOCOL & CONSIDERATIONS
      1. MIDD HR will endeavor to ensure all employees’ contact numbers and emergency contact details are up to date.
      2. MIDD HR will assist all employees on a 24/7 availability basis and will ensure that all employees have a single HR point of contact for support.
      3. MIDD HR will continue to communicate as situations change
      4. MIDD HR will continue to make sure managers/supervisors/foreman are clear on any relevant policy, processing such as sick reporting, sick pay, leave rights and responsibilities etc
  13. MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION
    1. In response to COVID-19, MIDD is relaxing the requirement of documentation from employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness due to the difficulty of obtaining access to medical providers under the present circumstances, and MIDD encourages ill employees to stay at home until they are healthy and able to return to work.
    2. MIDD, at its sole discretion, may require medical documentation for all non-COVID-19 related reasons up to and including personal and occupational injury/illness before an employee may return to work.
    3. MIDD will continue to follow all HIPAA privacy requirements (documentation or otherwise).

Employee Resources

We remain optimistic despite the COVID-19 impact has had on us all both locally and globally and we will let you know as soon as possible if we need to make any further changes to our operating procedures and We will post updates and revised resources as new information becomes available.

We are encouraged by health officials that this will only be temporary. We wish you all continued good health!