- with Senior Company Executives, HR and Inhouse Counsel
On April 27, 2026, Bloomington, Minnesota repealed its Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. As explained in the corresponding meeting agenda packet, “the primary purpose of Bloomington’s ESST ordinance, to guarantee paid sick and safe time, has been fulfilled by the statewide law.”
Bloomington is the second Minnesota city to repeal its paid sick and safe leave ordinance due to the application of statewide standards. Rather than continuing to maintain a parallel framework, Duluth repealed its ordinance effective January 18, 2024, shortly after the state law took effect.
As Bloomington’s meeting packet noted, “[s]tate law periodically changes.” Since Bloomington last amended its ordinance to align with state law, the state statute has been amended twice, and forthcoming state rules could further affect how the state law is interpreted. Accordingly, Bloomington’s ordinance did not fully align with state law and the city acknowledged that “significant staff time is needed to track, review, and update the ordinance to align it with state law.”
Bloomington also observed that “the positives of a dual system do not outweigh the negatives of requiring employers to navigate overlapping rules that are substantially similar in purpose and effect.” Many are now watching to see whether Minneapolis and Saint Paul – both of which have also been playing “catch up” based on changes to state law – will follow suit and reduce multi-jurisdiction compliance challenges for employers with Minnesota operations.
Employers that were previously subject to Bloomington’s ordinance should review and, if necessary, update their paid sick and safe (or general paid time off) policies and plans. They also should consider removing or revising any workplace postings, employee notices, handbook provisions, or other communications that specifically refer to the now-repealed Bloomington ordinance. Additionally, employers that remain subject to the Minneapolis and Saint Paul ordinances should continue to monitor developments from, or consider outreach to, the city councils, the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, or the Saint Paul Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity concerning whether the city will continue revising, or will repeal, their ordinance in light of the state law. Finally, employers with Minnesota operations should keep an eye out for final state rules from the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry regarding the state law.
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