December 3, 2020

Changes to New York Employment Laws to Have Lasting Impact, Says Law360

Edging toward the end of the year, it’s traditionally the time to take stock of the things that happened over the past 12 months. This year is obviously special as the landscape, from political economy to social life has changed so dramatically for many people. Employment law is no exception and this week Law 360 published a helpful guide to how the pandemic has changed employment law in New York and what kinds of impacts those changes will have into 2021 and beyond.

The most high-profile change was the expansion of paid sick leave in the state was well as New York City. In September, the state law on sick leave took effect which meant employees can begin to accrue paid sick leave time which will be available beginning January 1, 2020. The sick leave can be used by employees who need to care for a family member’s physical or mental health as well as the provide assistance to those who have been the victims of domestic abuse, family or sexual offense, human trafficking, or stalking. Similar provisions were included in the recently approved measure for paid leave in Colorado.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in New York City also updated the city’s paid leave laws to match up more closely with the state-level laws. One notable amendment was the inclusion of domestic workers, who are now eligible for up to 40 hours of paid leave.

Other highlights from the round-up include a host of workplace safety changes necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic. Some of these include designation of essential businesses, mandatory facemask laws, and the requirement that every business, essential and otherwise, have a written plan for ensuring workplace safety.


It Pays to Listen to Your Employees

April 18, 2022
Disability Discrimination
A Kentucky jury’s recent finding underscores how important it is to listen to employee’s needs, especially when employees are sharing the mental health bases for their requests. Such open-minded attitudes and awareness of the consequences of disability discrimination usually lead to less strife and more equity in the long-run.

Two Years In, NWLC Releases Sobering Study on Women’s Employment

April 7, 2022
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While the disastrous recession that accompanied the first wave of global lockdowns has receded, women’s employment in the US remains in a dire place, according to a new study by the National Women’s Law Center.

Confirmation Hearings Descend into Farce as Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Remains Steadfast

April 1, 2022
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With an unimpeachable public record, Kentanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearings, predictably, veered into farce as Senate Republicans grandstanded for cable news, trotting out various electoral bogeymen, especially Critical Race Theory, and tried to smear Jackson by association.

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