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.


How Roe v. Wade Stopped Being the Law of the Land in Texas

September 3, 2021
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Senior Associate Alex Berke's latest piece for the Daily Beast teases out some of the implications and details of this Texas law and how it doesn't bode well for abortion rights in the future.

Is US Lack of Childcare a Threat to National Security?

August 23, 2021
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In a recent op-ed in The Hill, several retired US generals make the novel argument that the nation’s lack of strong, universal childcare is not only a persistent problem for working parents, but represents a national security threat and that lawmakers must continue to address this as part of the legislative wrangling set to go into overdrive as Congress returns from summer vacation

Another Tough School Year on the Horizon

August 23, 2021
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The Delta variant impact has been felt, including by parents who were relying on schools being open for in-person sessions this fall. After a year and a half of stop-start at schools, the fall semester is already being hampered with many schools having to close or quarantine significant portions of their population. This is especially bad news as there has been little headway made by legislators or the private sector in finding ways to provide parents with paid leave to deal with care-related emergencies, most notably by the sudden closure of schools.

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