Workers’ Compensation Rate Decrease of -5.4% Proposed for 2020

Florida businesses will most likely see a third straight year of lower workers’ compensation rates next year.  The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has informed the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation that because there were fewer on-the-job accidents in recent years, workers’ compensation rates should be decreased by an average of -5.4%.

The exact amount of the rate decrease will be determined after the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation holds a public hearing in October to discuss NCCI’s rate request and the Insurance Commissioner issues his formal decision.

If the proposed rate decrease is approved, it will take effect January 1, 2020 and will apply to workers’ compensation policies as they are issued or renewed on or after that date.

Please note:  The -5.4% decrease is an average rate decrease across all industry types.  The rate change for your specific workers’ compensation policy may be different.

The average proposed rate decrease by industry group is:

  • Manufacturing         -6.3%
  • Contracting             -7.4%
  • Office & Clerical      -4.94%

Please look for updates from us in the next few months in this newsletter or in your email if you are signed up to receive electronic notifications.

If you are not signed up to receive electronic communications from us, please send us an email to fuba@fuba.org with “sign me up for electronic notices” in the subject line.

Minimum Wage Could Be $15 An Hour Under Proposed Constitutional Amendment

A proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution is likely to be on the ballot for approval by voters in the November 2020 general election.

The amendment would gradually increase the Florida minimum wage that must be paid to employees to $15 starting in 2026.  After that, the minimum wage would change each year based on the Consumer Price Index, much like it is now.

If approved by voters in 2020, the Florida minimum wage would increase on the following schedule:

  • $10 an hour in 2021
  • $11 an hour in 2022
  • $12 an hour in 2023
  • $13 an hour in 2024
  • $14 an hour in 2025
  • $15 an hour in 2026

The current Florida minimum wage is $8.46 an hour.  If this constitutional amendment is approved, Florida would have the highest state minimum wage in the country.

“Wash Your Hands” Poster Available From FUBA

As a service to our members in the restaurant industry, FUBA provides free posters that can be displayed in restrooms reminding employees to wash their hands before leaving.

This poster is not mandatory.  But it is a good idea to remind all employees about proper hand washing to prevent food-borne illnesses.

FUBA members can receive these posters free of charge, even members that are not restaurants but who just want to remind anyone using their restroom facilities about the importance of washing their hands.

To request “Wash Your Hands” posters, please email us at fuba@fuba.org and provide us with your business name, the contact person’s name, mailing address, and FUBA member number (if you know it).

Attention Employers With 50 or More Employees: Employees Must Receive Leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) is a federal law that requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year for certain family-related issues:

  • The birth or adoption of a child
  • To care for an immediate family member who has a serious health condition
  • Medical leave if the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition
  • In certain circumstances where the employee’s spouse, son, daughter or parent is on active military duty

To qualify for leave under the FMLA, an employee must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and must have worked 1,250 hours in the prior year. Employers are required under the FMLA to maintain an employee’s group health benefits during their leave as if the employee had continued working, and employees are entitled to return to their same or an equivalent job at the end of their FMLA leave.

Employers are not required to pay employees for FMLA leave; the FMLA only requires unpaid leave.  Employers may require an employee to use accrued paid vacation or sick leave for some or all of the FMLA leave period.

All employers with 50 or more employees are required to post a notice explaining the FMLA’s provisions.

The government changed this poster in April 2016, but the prior version of the poster (dated February 2013) is still acceptable.

As a benefit of your FUBA membership, we can provide you with a copy of the FMLA poster upon request.  Only employers with 50 or more employees need to have this poster. 

If you would like one, please email us at fuba@fuba.org and provide us with your business name, the contact person’s name, mailing address, and FUBA member number (if you know it).

FUBA stays informed about all mandatory general employment-related posters.  As a benefit of your continued membership in FUBA, we will alert you when new posters are required, and we will provide you with these new posters free of charge.

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