Employee Resources
A Message from Mayor Gary W. Waters
As most of you know, I was once an employee for the city of Pelham, and I remember how difficult it was to be at the bottom and feel like I didn’t know what was going on at the top. In these challenging times, everyone needs to stay informed. In an effort to keep all city employees in-the-know, city leadership has created a communications team whose goal it is to let employees know how we are handling the current situation, and to provide the resources to make it easier for all of us to get through this. I call on all of you to make the effort to inform yourselves with these resources, and on the department heads and intermediate supervisors to stay in communication with your staff.
I would also like to add a little reassurance. Our job is to serve the residents and businesses of Pelham, and we can’t do that without our employees.
Stay well and stay safe,
Mayor Gary W. Waters
- Alabama is now paying the $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefit. If your employment has been impacted by COVID-19, be sure to look to see what benefits you may be able to receive.
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We all have lots of questions about our current situation, and searching for accurate information is a daunting task. Listed here are several resources to help address these concerns. Included are links to documents and sites from all levels of government, our city employee benefit partners, and human resources.
Alabama Workers Affected by Coronavirus Can File for Unemployment Benefits
March 17, 2020
The State of Alabama has now joined the ranks of other states across the country in following guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and extending unemployment benefits to workers who are unable to work due to COVID-19. On Monday, the Alabama Department of Labor Secretary announced that such workers would now be eligible to file for unemployment benefits.
The existing unemployment compensation rules were modified to allow workers to file a claim for unemployment compensation benefits, beginning March 23, 2020, if they are affected in any of the following ways:
- Those who are quarantined by a medical professional or government agency;
- Those who are laid off or sent home without pay for an extended period by their employer due to COVID-19 concerns;
- Those who are diagnosed with COVID-19; or
- Those who are caring for an immediate family member diagnosed with COVID-19.
This rule modification also changes the requirement that a laid-off worker be “able and available” to work while receiving unemployment compensation benefits under the conditions above and waives the standard “waiting week” required before receiving benefits. Specifically, claimants will not have to search for other work as long as they take reasonable steps to preserve their ability to come back to the same job when the quarantine is lifted or illness subsides.
The ADOL’s press release announcing this rule modification noted that verification of illness or quarantine may be required and expressly stated that individuals who are being paid to work remotely or who are receiving paid time off are NOT eligible for these benefits, regardless if they experience any or all of the conditions listed above. The ADOL also instructed that employers who decide to cease operations and shut down due to causes related to COVID-19 should treat the closure as a temporary layoff for unemployment purposes.
The legal landscape related to COVID-19 continues to change by the minute. We will continue to update you on these changes and are here to answer any questions you may have. In the meantime, we would advise that you inform potentially eligible employees of this unemployment benefits option.
Emergency FMLA Request Form 2020
Employee Rights Under Families First Coronavirus Response Act
RETURN TO WORK GUIDELINES FOR CITY EMPLOYEES
Employees with Prolonged Exposure
Any employee with close contact to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient is required to self-isolate for 14 days from the last day they were exposed. There is no point in the employee going to get tested in that 14 day period in an effort to return to work. Because the virus has a 14 day incubation period, they could test negative on day 5 of their last exposure but then test positive on day 10, 11, or 12.
Employees that Become Sick
At this time it is not required to get a test to return to work. In order to return, the employee must be fever free for at least 72 hours without taking fever-reducing medications, have improvement in respiratory symptoms, and a minimum of 7 days have passed since the symptoms first appeared. After returning to work, the employee is encouraged to wear a mask until all symptoms have completely resolved or until 14 days after illness onset, whichever is longer.