San Francisco Adopts Ordinance That Prohibits Caregiver Discrimination and Provides Flexible Work Arrangements for Caregivers

San Francisco recently adopted the “Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance,” which prohibits caregiver discrimination and gives employees a right to request “flexible” or “predictable working arrangements” to assist employees with caregiving responsibilities for children, family members with serious health conditions, or parents 65 years or older.1 The ordinance goes into effect on January 1, 2014, and applies to all employees in the City and County of San Francisco who work for employers with 20 or more employees in the city.2 The ordinance applies to employees who have worked for a covered employer for at least six months and regularly work at least eight hours per week. The ordinance is based on federal legislation rejected three times by Congress, and a similar statute adopted by Vermont.