As we previously advised in the April 2013 issue of Epstein Becker Green’s Take 5 Newsletter, on June 11, 2013, over Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto, an amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) becomes effective, prohibiting discrimination based upon an individual’s unemployment. The District of Columbia, New Jersey, and Oregon maintain similar laws prohibiting discrimination based on an individual’s employment status. New York City’s law, however, is broader than these other laws, in that it permits applicants to file private court actions against employers or file complaints with the New York City Commission on Human Rights (“Commission”), whereas existing laws in other jurisdictions do not provide for such remedies.
Coverage -
The NYCHRL applies to employers, including employment agencies, with four or more employees (including independent contractors who are “natural persons” and not themselves employers).
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