Good afternoon Team,
I hope you and your families are doing well! We are thinking of you all and are looking forward to the day that we are able to be back at work together. It seems this situation with COVID-19 is changing by the hour, so I wanted to give you all a quick update on a couple of items.
To start, we are aware that President Trump extended the federal Social Distancing Guidelines to April 30, 2020. There has not yet been a response from Governor Whitmer and the State of Michigan about this fact, so it’s unknown how this will affect us. At this time, we are still planning on returning to work on April 14, 2020. If Governor Whitmer extends her “Stay at Home” mandate, we’ll be sure to update you all via text and email.
Secondly, several of you have asked about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This Act requires employers with less than 500 employees to provide paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. There is a link to the Department of Labor’s website where they address the many Q&As people have had about this Act. Please find it here. According to the FFCRA, Governor Whitmer’s “Stay at Home” mandate does not automatically qualify someone for paid sick leave (see question 23).
“If, prior to the FFCRA’s effective date, your employer sent you home and stops paying you because it does not have work for you to do, you will not get paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave but you may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. This is true whether your employer closes your worksite for lack of business or because it is required to close pursuant to a Federal, State, or local directive. You should contact your State workforce agency or State unemployment insurance office for specific questions about your eligibility.”
For more information about this Act, here is another helpful link from the Department of Labor. There is also an FFCRA poster attached in this email.
In some exciting news, last week Friday the Federal Government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This Act is huge, but there are several noteworthy things in the Act that may impact you.
- Expanded unemployment coverage for individuals currently unemployed due to COVID-19 related reasons (up to $600/wk)
- Individual tax rebate checks assuming your salary qualifies ($1,200/individual plus $500 for each qualifying child)
- Small Business Administration loan programs
Our team is working diligently with our bank to understand how the SBA loan programs may allow Coastal to provide paycheck protection for our employees. As we learn more, we will update you all.
Thank you all for your patience as we navigate the countless changes and updates that have come with this COVID-19 virus. It is crucial to us that you are all safe and informed on Coastal’s next steps. To stay in the loop, follow this link to a blog we created as another means of keeping us all connected. We will continue to text and email as well ????
All the best,
Tom Doyle & Zoe Mesbergen
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