#WorkforceWednesday: Sick Leave in New York, California Law Update, and Oregon’s Workplace Fairness Act Takes Effect
Effective February 22, 2026, New York City employers must provide employees with an additional 32 hours of unpaid Sick/Safe leave, which is available for use immediately upon hire....more
Significant changes to New York City’s sick and safe leave law just took effect on February 22 requiring employers to provide 32 hours of unpaid time off and expanding the permissible uses for such leave. In response, city...more
Beginning February 22, 2026, New York City employers must provide employees with an additional 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick time, frontloaded at hire. This new requirement is a result of amendments to the New York...more
The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), the agency responsible for enforcing the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA), has released proposed rules in advance of the February 22...more
The expanded New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) will go into effect on February 22, 2026. All employers should review their current sick leave policies to ensure they are compliant with the new...more
Here are the top 10 workplace compliance items you should tackle in February 2026, based on the latest labor and employment law updates...more
New York City employers will need to redesign policies and update systems and training to comply with significant changes the city made to a cornerstone workplace regime: the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA). The ESSTA...more
Employers in New York State and New York City will continue to navigate a fast-changing legal landscape as the calendar flips to a new year. 2025 was another active year for workplace legislation, much of it spurred by local...more
California has once again expanded employee leave protections and benefits—this time through two significant bills signed by Governor Gavin Newsom: Assembly Bill 406 and Senate Bill 590. ...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
In October, the New York City Council enacted amendments to the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA), introducing new obligations for employers, expanding employee rights and codifying the rules promulgated earlier this year...more
On October 25, 2025, New York City adopted Int. No. 0780-2024, after New York City Mayor Eric Adams returned the bill unsigned. ...more
Recently enacted amendments to the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) will go into effect February 22, 2026. Employers in New York City should familiarize themselves with the new requirements for usage and...more
New York employers must prepare to revise their sick and safe leave policies in the new year. As described in our recent advisory, the New York City Council approved a bill that broadens entitlements under the city's Earned...more
The New York City Council recently amended the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) to align with the requirements of the Temporary Schedule Change Act (TSCA). These amendments, enacted on October 25, 2025,...more
New York City employers should be prepared to provide expanded sick/safe time benefits in the new year. On September 25, 2025, the New York City Council approved a bill (the "Bill") that, if enacted, will broaden entitlements...more
The New York City Council has approved a bill that, if ultimately enacted, would expand the city’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”)....more
The New York City Council just passed legislation to further expand the city’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act. The amendments, approved on September 25, will soon broaden the reasons employees can use sick leave, introduce a...more
A growing number of states require employers to provide safe leave for employees who are victims of violent crimes. Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Washington are among the states that mandated leave for crime...more
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) recently published new guidance in the form of FAQs regarding AB 2499 – the Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Right to Leave and Accommodations law....more
Vermont employers should ensure compliance with an update to the state’s Parental and Family Leave Act (PFLA). H. 461, which took effect on July 1, expands PFLA and now covers individuals in nontraditional family structures....more
On June 14, 2026, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation passed during a one-day legislative special session that includes new employment laws or amends existing employment laws. ...more
On July 1, 2025, several important changes to Chicago labor ordinances went into effect. Chicago’s Minimum Wage Ordinance, Fair Workweek Ordinance, and Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance have all seen...more
After controlling Minnesota’s House, Senate, and governorship since 2023, the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party’s legislative and gubernatorial “trifecta” at the state capitol is no more....more
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MNDOLI) recently issued proposed rules for governing Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time Law (ESST). The proposed rules are open for public comment through April 2, 2025....more