How Will New NYS and Federal Paid Sick and Family Leave Laws Interact?

This week marks a significant juncture for the US as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is scheduled to end next week, schools are considering how to safely serve students, and workplaces continue to grapple with safety concerns.

By now, the fact that childcare is in crisis is not new. But as the weeks creep by it is crystallizing as one of the signal problems of the pandemic lockdowns. Without childcare, which includes open K-12 schools, parents, child care workers, day care providers, and a host of others have been deeply affected. As Congress prepares to reconvene and wrangle over a new set of stimulus payments, a boost to the childcare industry is front and center.

The three cases highlighted in this weeks’ FFCRA complaint roundup include two filed by plaintiffs working in restaurants and another from a plaintiff employed in food distribution. Because the entire food supply chain has been deemed essential, workers in the industry have little ability to leave work to care for sick family members or children since the childcare industry cratered.