On December 19, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law an amendment to the New York State Human Rights Law that expressly recognizes “disparate impact” as a basis for proving unlawful discrimination.
Under this...more
Effective April 18, 2026, an amendment to the New York State Fair Credit Reporting Act will prohibit employers from requesting or relying upon an applicant’s or employee’s “consumer credit history” when making...more
On December 19, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the “Trapped at Work Act,” which prohibits employers from requiring employees to sign “employment promissory notes” as a condition of employment.
...more
New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) requires employers to provide safe and sick leave to New York City employees for a range of qualifying reasons.
...more
11/24/2025
/ Amended Legislation ,
City of New York ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Reform ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Safe Leave ,
Wage and Hour
Effective January 1, 2026, the state of New York will implement increases to both the minimum wage and the overtime exemption salary thresholds....more
On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued the “Restrictions on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” proclamation, introducing several significant changes to U.S. immigration policy. In particular, the proclamation...more
Enacted in the early days of the pandemic, the law required employers to provide a separate allotment of paid sick leave to employees who were subject to mandatory or precautionary quarantine or isolation orders due to...more
On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, holding that members of a majority group are not required to meet a heightened evidentiary standard to prevail...more
On May 9, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law significant amendments to the New York labor law, providing relief to employers in connection with frequency-of-pay violations. Previously, New York employers who failed...more
5/30/2025
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Liquidated Damages ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On March 25, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit clarified and potentially broadened the scope of an employer’s responsibility to offer reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act...more
Last year, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Retail Worker Safety Act (Act), one of the most extensive retail workplace violence prevention laws in the nation. Following an enforcement delay due to a February 2025...more
4/11/2025
/ Covered Employer ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Notice Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Workers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (EO) that takes aim at employment diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more
On October 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace (the AI Guidance).
The AI Guidance is the most recent in a spate of federal, state,...more
Effective August 28, 2024, companies that engage independent contractors in the state of New York must now comply with New York’s “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act (the Act), a statute that imposes a range of new requirements...more
On August 20, 2024, a Texas district court issued a decision blocking a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Rule, which would have banned employment-related noncompete agreements....more
9/3/2024
/ Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Statutory Authority ,
Texas ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its new Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace (the Guidance), the first update to its Guidance in over 20 years. Among the many...more
6/28/2024
/ Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Gender Identity ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII
The recent passage of the New York state budget brought with it a range of employment-related developments, as well as the notable omission of an expected change...more
In an important change, beginning on March 20, 2024, employees may file lawsuits, including class actions, against their employers for alleged violations of New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (the Sick Leave Law),...more
3/28/2024
/ City of New York ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Leave
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has signaled that it will take aggressive action against employers who, by way of employment-related agreements, restrict, prohibit, or otherwise discourage employees from...more
On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Final Rule revising its prior guidance on how to determine whether an individual may properly be classified as an independent contractor under the Fair Labor...more
On September 15, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Senate Bill 5640, which adds Section 203-f to the New York Labor Law. Section 203-f creates statutory limitations on an employer's use of invention...more
Beginning January 1, 2024, the state minimum wage in New York will increase. Subject to limited exceptions, it will then continue to increase annually thereafter. By way of example, effective January 1, 2024, the hourly...more
While generative artificial intelligence (AI) programs can allow employees to complete certain tasks more efficiently, they can also raise concerns regarding copyright infringement, plagiarism, and data privacy, among others....more
On September 14, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill prohibiting employers from requesting or requiring that employees or job applicants disclose the log-in credentials for their personal social media...more
On June 16, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision reinstating an Obama-era standard used to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the National Labor Relations Act....more