April 16, 2021

New Study Finds No Negative Effects in NYS Paid Family Leave 

The results of a three-year study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicated that paid family leave policies do not have a negative effect for employers. Spanning 2016 to 2019, the study focused on what effects NYS’s paid family leave law, which came into force in 2018, might have on employers dealing with workers who take leave.

The researchers surveyed more than 4,500 firms employing between 10 and 99 employees in New York and neighboring Pennsylvania, which does not have paid-family leave policies currently. They found that employers did not experience dips in worker productivity, or difficulties with less tangible aspects, such as employee cooperation and teamwork. 

This study also showed evidence that paid family leave enjoyed wide popularity and that employers were not adversely affected in financial terms. Oddly, despite its success, support for paid family leave declined slightly, something the researchers could not explain.

Of course, the pandemic has changed much of the employment landscape, nationally, and paid family leave remains available to less than a quarter of US workers. This has had a significant impact on people’s ability to manage health concerns and work. 

There remains no federal paid leave law on the books, leaving many workers stranded between work and home obligations or relying on the good grace of private employers to institute leave policies.


Federal Family and Sick Leave for Covid-19 Expanded by New York District Court

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Pregnancy Discrimination
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S.D.N.Y. Judge Paul Oetken invalidated parts of the Department of Labor’s interpretation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in a lawsuit brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

New York State Human Rights Law Invoked in Sexual Harassment Arbitration Case

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A split has appeared in how to handle sexual harassment cases with a New York trial judge ruling recently that the state’s Human Rights Law prevents companies and employees from entering arbitration over sexual harassment. This contradicts an earlier ruling in New York’s Southern District where a judge ruled that arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) supersedes New York’s statutory prohibition against arbitration.

The First Recession for Women

August 11, 2020
Gender Discrimination
There is a new feature to the pandemic-induced recession that has decimated employment, manufacturing, child care, education, and just about every other facet of life. It is women, not men who are the most greatly affected by the force of the shutdown.

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