New York’s two-year 2025-2026 legislative session hit its midpoint in June, with lawmakers wrapping up the first year by passing a slew of workplace-related bills that now await action from Governor Hochul. As federal labor...more
7/3/2025
/ Age Discrimination ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Construction Workers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Credit History ,
Disability Benefits ,
Disparate Impact ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Jury Awards ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Relations ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Popular ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Retaliation ,
Severance Agreements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statutory Damages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Waiver of Rights ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
New York could soon jump into the lead of the national AI regulation race. With broad bipartisan support, state lawmakers passed the groundbreaking Responsible AI Safety and Education Act (RAISE Act) on June 12, aimed...more
Now that the June 2 effective date for New York’s landmark retail safety law is here, the state Department of Labor has released model policy and training materials to help you with your compliance efforts. New York retailers...more
New York employers will see three significant workplace laws come into effect in June, and retail, warehouse, and fashion industry employers throughout the state need to take notice. You’ll face new requirements for workplace...more
5/30/2025
/ Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Fashion Industry ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Retail Workers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
Employers would have to give all employees in New York time to review and revoke severance agreements under a bill that just passed the state Senate on March 4. The No Severance Ultimatums Act now moves to the Assembly, and...more
As retail employers in New York prepare for new workplace violence prevention requirements to take effect, you’ll want to be aware of key changes state lawmakers passed last week. Specifically, amendments to the Retail Worker...more
Employers in New York State and New York City face unique challenges given all the new workplace laws that are passed each year – and 2024 was no different. Indeed, multiple bills were enacted in the past year that will raise...more
1/31/2025
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
In a major development for all businesses handling health data, New York lawmakers passed a sweeping health data privacy bill Wednesday that could have far-ranging consequences across the country. S929, also known as the New...more
1/24/2025
/ Consent ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Collection ,
Data Deletion ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Processors ,
Data Protection ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Health Care Providers ,
New York ,
PHI ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Privacy Laws
AI is reshaping the workplace, and two of the nation’s most influential states – California and New York – are making sure businesses take accountability. California’s Attorney General issued sweeping advisories on Monday...more
1/20/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Bias ,
California ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
New York ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transparency
Now that the federal non-compete ban has been shelved, we expect lawmakers in blue states to ramp up their efforts in this area. In particular, New York State lawmakers will likely introduce legislation that addresses some of...more
Retail employers in New York will soon need to implement comprehensive safety measures designed to address the increasing problem of workplace violence. Last week, Governor Hochul signed into law the Retail Worker Safety Act...more
Nursing employees now have the right to paid break time to express breast milk during the workday under a New York State law that took effect June 19. This move underscores Governor Hochul’s push for legislation supporting...more
7/15/2024
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Guidance Update ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New York ,
Notice Requirements ,
NYDOL ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Employers should get ready to comply with key workplace changes since New York lawmakers just finalized the state budget. The 2024-2025 budget – which was approved on April 20 – ushers in three significant updates impacting...more
4/23/2024
/ Breastfeeding ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Sick Leave ,
State Budgets ,
Wage and Hour
New York City officials just published the much-anticipated Workers’ Bill of Rights – and NYC businesses must provide a copy to current employees by July 1. You’ll also need to start providing it to any subsequent new hires....more
Continuing a years’ long trend of extensive alterations to workplace laws, New York State and New York City continued to enact new workplace legislation impacting employers. A substantial number of enacted bills in the past...more
1/11/2024
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Freelance Workers ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
Pay Transparency ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
New York City recently enacted a law requiring businesses to provide a “workers’ Bill of Rights” to employees – so you should add this new requirement to your 2024 to-do list. The New York City Council passed the measure...more
With only a few days left before New York’s pay transparency law takes effect, the state labor department issued proposed rules aiming to clarify employers’ wage disclosure obligations. Though the regulations are not yet...more
New York state lawmakers passed a flurry of employment-related bills in the final weeks of the legislative session. The bills – which now head to Governor Hochul’s desk for consideration – aim to provide workers in the state...more
6/27/2023
/ Assignment of Inventions ,
Emergency Alerts ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New York ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
New York lawmakers just passed legislation that would ban employee non-compete agreements, heading to Governor Hochul for consideration. If signed into effect by the governor, the law will be a sea change for New York...more
Employers in the Empire State may need to review and revise their budgets in light of recently finalized minimum wage hikes. As part of the New York State budget legislation enacted on May 3, the minimum wage is set to rise...more
With the June 19 effective date on the horizon, employers subject to New York’s Warehouse Worker Protection Act should begin preparations to comply with the law’s requirements sooner rather than later. Signed into law at the...more
A New York federal judge recently shook up the employment law world when he ruled that a new federal law preventing employers from requiring arbitration in sexual harassment claims also blocked arbitration for other claims...more
In advance of the September 17 effective date of New York’s impending pay transparency law, state lawmakers just amended the law in ways that both expand and contract the obligations imposed on employers — particularly with...more
After a few years of rapid and expansive change to New York’s workplace laws, involving adjustments to workplace safety, employee pay, benefits, and privacy, there was a noticeable slowdown for the state legislature this past...more
1/5/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Breastfeeding ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Leave of Absence ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Nurses ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Pay Transparency ,
Posting Requirements ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Salaried Employees ,
Sexual Abuse ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Warehouses ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
New York is expanding accommodations and protections for nursing employees in the workplace. In accordance with amendments to New York Labor Law Section 206-c, which will go into effect in June 2023, employers across the...more
12/30/2022
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Breastfeeding ,
Equal Access ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New York ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undue Hardship