New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed bills enacting the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, extending the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit alleging unlawful discriminatory practices, and barring the inclusion of liquidated...more
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul continues to sign legislation emanating from a busy legislative session, including legislation rendering contractual assignment-of-inventions provisions unenforceable, prohibiting...more
9/25/2023
/ Assignment of Inventions ,
Business Property ,
Carve Out Provisions ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Separation ,
Social Media ,
Trade Secrets ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Written Notice
During a busy term at the New York Legislature, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation prohibiting captive audience meetings, categorizing wage theft as larceny, and expanding protection of “gender identity or expression”...more
The 2023 New York State Legislature recently concluded its legislative session (after being called back for two weeks to consider certain pieces of legislation). The session ended with a flurry of activity relevant to...more
7/27/2023
/ Assignment of Inventions ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Freelance Isn't Free Act (FIFA) ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gender Identity ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Sealed Records ,
Settlement Agreements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
New York has released an updated model sexual harassment prevention policy and updated model training materials. The revised model policy increases the emphasis on gender discrimination in the workplace, with a particular...more
Under two amendments to its law regulating consecutive hours of work for nurses (Labor Law Section 167), New York has established monetary penalties for violations of the law and placed reporting requirements and other...more
In 2022, New York State and New York City enacted many new workplace laws, creating additional obligations for employers.
New York State Legal Updates-
New York State and City COVID-19 Requirements-
In 2022, several...more
1/25/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Pay Transparency ,
Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Wage and Hour
The New York State Commissioner of Health rescinded the designation of COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health under the HERO Act” (Health and Essential...more
While most of our focus over the last year has been on COVID-19-related developments, New York State and New York City employers also must ensure compliance with other recent and upcoming legal changes...more
1/27/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Fair Workweek ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Immunization Records ,
Masks ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
NYDOL ,
OSHA ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Posting Requirements ,
Quarantine ,
Recreational Use ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Retirement Plan ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage Theft ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
With 70 percent of adult New Yorkers having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, as of June 15, 2021, New York lifted restrictions imposed on most industries under the NY Forward and COVID-19 Safety Plan rules that...more
On June 8, 2021, New York State updated the NY Forward Guidance for several industries, including office-based and food services employers, with changes that many people feel are overdue...more
New York employers may need to change their approach to workplace health and safety rules significantly under the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act), signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on May 5, 2021...more
5/14/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enforcement ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Risk Management ,
Safety Programs ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
The Suffolk County, New York, Legislature has passed the “Fair Employment Screening Amendment” to the Suffolk County Code, prohibiting the County or any other employer having at least 15 employees from asking job applicants...more
With federal and state legislation constantly evolving, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office issuing multiple executive orders, New York employers are struggling to understand their coronavirus (COVID-19) paid leave...more
As 2019 comes to a close, legislative and administrative actions in New York require consideration by employers in the state.
First, Governor Cuomo signed legislation adding reproductive rights as a protected class under...more
New York state has enacted sweeping new workplace harassment protections for employees, including lowering the standard for when harassment is actionable.
It also has adopted new law prohibiting employment discrimination...more
An increasing number of states across the country are enacting requirements that mandate training of supervisors and employees in avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace. Will your state be next? How can multi-state...more
The State of New York has issued final guidance on combating sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes updated guidance on the mandatory sexual harassment prevention policies and annual employee training applicable to...more
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) has promulgated a regulation that requires insurance companies to provide Commercial Crime Coverage to employers who have prior knowledge of an employee’s prior...more