PRINTER'S NO. 1958
No. 1578 Session of 1983
INTRODUCED BY PITTS, RAPPAPORT, CLYMER, COHEN, PHILLIPS AND
JOHNSON, OCTOBER 12, 1983
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, OCTOBER 12, 1983
AN ACT
1 Requiring a day of rest and for absences on religious holidays.
2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3 hereby enacts as follows:
4 Section 1. A day of rest.
5 (a) General rule.--No employer shall require an employee to
6 work more than six consecutive days. One day of rest shall be
7 provided within each seven consecutive day period. Such day of
8 rest shall be at least 24 consecutive hours of duration.
9 (b) Waiver.--The rights provided in this section may be
10 waived by the employee by agreement, in writing, between the
11 employee and employer.
12 Section 2. Religious observance.
13 (a) Persons not required to work on religious holidays.--
14 Except as may be required in an emergency or where his personal
15 presence is absolutely essential to the orderly transaction of
16 public business, no person shall be required to remain at his
17 place of employment during any day or days or portion thereof
1 that, as a requirement of his religion, he observes as his
2 Sabbath or other holy day, including a reasonable time prior and
3 subsequent thereto for travel between his place of employment
4 and his home, but any such absence from work shall, wherever
5 practicable in the judgment of the employer, be made up by an
6 equivalent amount of time and work at some other mutually
7 convenient time, or shall be charged against any leave with pay
8 ordinarily granted, other than sick leave, provided that any
9 absence not so made up or charged, may be treated by the
10 employer of the person as leave taken without pay.
11 (b) Exceptions.--This section shall not be construed to
12 apply to any position dealing with the public health or safety
13 where the person holding the position must be available for duty
14 whenever needed, or to any position or class of positions, the
15 nature and the quality of the duties of which are such that the
16 personal presence of the holder of the position is regularly
17 essential on any particular day or days or portion thereof for
18 the normal performance of such duties with respect to any holder
19 thereof who, as a requirement of his religion, observes such day
20 or days or portion thereof as his Sabbath or other holy day.
21 Section 3. Effective date.
22 This act shall take effect immediately.
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