Tag: New York City

2024 Brings Change for New York Employers

Mara B. Levin and Anthony A. Mingione


LEGISLATION

This year brings significant legislative updates recently passed in New York that may impact your business operations. Three of these laws, and a recent Court of Appeals decision, introduce important changes that require attention and potential adjustment of your employment practices.

Worker’s Bill of Rights

Effective July 1, 2024, New York City employers must post and distribute a “Worker’s Bill of Rights” notice, informing employees of their rights under federal, state, and local workplace laws—regardless of immigration status. Some of these rights include: Paid Safe and Sick Leave, Minimum Wage, Temporary Schedule Changes, Fast Food Worker Rights, and right to organize.

Employers must provide this notice in English and any other language that is spoken as a primary language by at least five percent of their employees. Failing to meet notice and posting requirements could subject employers to a civil penalty of up to $500.

Read the full client alert on our website.

A Tall Order: NYC Prohibits Height and Weight Discrimination in Employment

Anthony A. Mingione  ●

On May 26, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed a bill that will prohibit discrimination based on an applicant or employee’s actual or perceived height or weight. This bill amends the New York City Human Rights Law by specifically adding “height” and “weight” to its list of protected classes. These additions will become effective on November 22, 2023.

There are several exemptions, including where height or weight restrictions are:

      • Required by a federal, state, or local law or regulation;
      • Permitted by any regulation adopted by the City Commission on Human Rights that identifies certain jobs or job categories for which height or weight could prevent the person from performing the essential requirements of the job, and for which the Commission finds that no other reasonable alternative is available that would allow the person to perform the essential requirements of the job; or
      • Permitted by any regulation adopted by the Commission that identifies particular categories of jobs for which the use of height or weight as a criteria is reasonably necessary for the normal operations of the business.
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NYC Employers Using AI For Screening Beware

Anthony A. Mingione, Mara B. Levin, and Amelia Clegg


Starting January 1, 2023, New York City employers that utilize artificial intelligence (“AI”) decision-making tools in their hiring practices will need to provide notice to applicants of the technology and conduct independent bias audits to ensure that these tools do not have a discriminatory impact on candidates. This new law, which is aimed at eliminating bias in automated employment decisions, is the first of its type in the United States. 

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”) has issued proposed regulations in connection with the law, and the DCWP will be holding a public forum to discuss the proposed regulations on October 24, 2022.

Employers and employment agencies should not wait until the regulations are finalized to develop a catalog of AI-driven tools they use for assisting in hiring and promotion decisions and working with vendors and technology stakeholders to develop the means for independent audits that are sufficiently linked to the jobs and job classes for which the organization anticipates hiring.  

To read the full client alert, please visit our website. 

New York City Clarifies Pay Transparency Timetable—Delays Effective Date

Mara B. Levin, Stephen E. Tisman, Anthony A. Mingione, and William J. Anthony

As previewed in our April 5, 2022, client alert (New York Employers, Take Note! Two New Laws Effective in May | Blank Rome LLP), New York City has rolled back to November 1, 2022, the effective date of its amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) that will require the City’s private employers to provide a minimum and maximum salary range for jobs when advertising employment opportunities.

The City delayed the effective date in order to give employers a six-month extension of time to come into compliance. The amendment will require employers that are advertising job openings for positions performed in New York City to include the salary range (both a minimum and maximum amount) being offered for the position in the advertisement.

Continue reading “New York City Clarifies Pay Transparency Timetable—Delays Effective Date”

New York Employers, Take Note! Two New Laws Effective in May

Mara B. Levin, Stephen E. Tisman, Anthony A. Mingione, and William J. Anthony

New York businesses face not one, but two new laws which significantly impact employers and take effect next month. The first requires employers in New York City to provide salary ranges when advertising employment opportunities (effective May 15, 2022). The second mandates that New York employers provide prior notice and posting if they intend to monitor employee telephone, e-mail, or Internet usage (effective May 7, 2022). Read below for important summaries of the new laws and their impact on your business.

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New York City Jumps on the “Salary Transparency Bandwagon”


Jason E. Reisman and Valerie D. Ringel

New York City Council passed legislation on December 15, 2021, that would require employers in NYC (who have at least four employees) to include the minimum and maximum salary range for a position in any posting/advertisement for a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity. The bill will go into effect 120 days after it becomes law, unless the new mayor, Eric Adams, vetoes it by January 14, 2022.

The bill makes it a discriminatory practice under the NYC Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) to fail to include such salary information in a posting/advertisement. As set forth in the text of the bill:

It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employment agency, employer, employee or agent thereof to advertise a job, promotion or transfer opportunity without stating the minimum and maximum salary for such position in such advertisement. In stating the minimum and maximum salary for a position, the range may extend from the lowest to the highest salary the employer in good faith believes at the time of the posting it would pay for the advertised job, promotion or transfer opportunity.

The bill gives the NYC Commission on Human Rights the power to issue rules to implement (and hopefully further clarify) the new law. Among the issues that need clarity are the definition of “salary” and whether the requirement applies to all jobs advertised in New York City or only for postings for jobs physically located in NYC. While the “summary” of the bill on the NYC City Council website (here) references it applying to “any position located within New York City,” NYC guidance has in the past expanded on the interpretation of the law.

“Key to NYC”: New York City Announces Vaccine Mandate Guidance

Anthony A. Mingione

New York City has issued the much-awaited guidance on its private-sector vaccine mandate. The mandate, which is scheduled to take effect on December 27, 2021, will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses in the City. There are several key takeaways from the guidance and accompanying FAQs.

Which Businesses Are Covered?

Any business that maintains or operates a workplace in New York City is covered. A “workplace” is any place where work is performed in the presence of another worker, or a member of the public.

What Must Employers Do to Comply?

Subject to the accommodation process described below, by December 27, 2021, employers must collect acceptable proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination from all individuals who perform services at New York City workplaces operated by the employer. This includes on-site independent contractors and nonresidents who work at New York City workplaces. (Workers who show proof of a first shot of a two-shot vaccine need to get their second dose within 45 days.)

The forms of acceptable proof have not changed. They include: a CDC COVID-19 vaccination record card or other official immunization record, New York City COVID Safe App showing a vaccination record, a New York State Excelsior Pass/Excelsior Pass Plus, or a CLEAR Health Pass. Accordingly, employers do not need to collect additional information from employees who have already provided proof of vaccination.

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Moving the Needle: New York City to Mandate COVID Vaccines at All Private Employers

Anthony A. Mingione

Outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the country’s first vaccine mandate to apply to all private-sector workers. The mandate, which is scheduled to take effect on December 27, 2021, would apply to roughly 184,000 businesses in the City.

Acceptable proof of vaccination will include a CDC-issued vaccination card, the New York State Excelsior Pass, the Clear Health Pass, and the NYC COVID Safe App.

The City plans to issue enforcement guidance on December 15, 2021. The guidance is expected to include provisions for reasonable accommodations for religious and medical exemption requests. The announcement also includes a pledge of additional resources to support small businesses with implementation, though what will qualify as a “small business” or what those resources will be remains to be seen.

Continue reading “Moving the Needle: New York City to Mandate COVID Vaccines at All Private Employers”

New York City Matches New York State’s Sick Leave Requirements, and Adds More

Jacob W.E. Kearney, Stephen E. Tisman, Anthony A. Mingione, and Mara B. Levin

New York City recently amended its Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (the “Act”) to match New York State’s recent changes to the Labor Law requiring all employers to provide sick leave to employees as discussed in our prior posts (Empire State Requires All Employers to Provide Sick Leave; Act Now! Changes to New York Sick Leave Are Here). New York City’s Act now matches the New York State requirements that employers must allow employees to accrue safe/sick time of between 40 to 56 hours per year (depending on employer size and net income). Although effective September 30, employees may be restricted from using any additional accrued paid time under the new legislation until January 1, 2021. New York City employers are also required to provide notice of the changes to their employees by October 30, 2020.

Mirroring the new Labor Law requirements, the New York City Act provides that:

    • Employers with 100 or more employees must allow employees to accrue at least 56 hours of paid safe/sick time each calendar year;
    • Employers with between five and 99 employees must allow employees to accrue at least 40 hours of paid safe/sick time each calendar year;
    • Employers with fewer than five employees but having a net income greater than one million dollars in the previous tax year must allow employees to accrue at least 40 hours of paid safe/sick time each calendar year; and
    • Employers with fewer than five employees and having a net income less than one million dollars in the previous tax year must allow employees to accrue at least 40 hours of unpaid safe/sick time each calendar year.

Continue reading “New York City Matches New York State’s Sick Leave Requirements, and Adds More”

Poster and Notice Requirements for “Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act”

Anna Svensson

Recently, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) released the Fact Sheet and Notice referenced in the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act (the “Act”).

The Act, which was signed into law on May 9, 2018, requires New York City-based employers with at least 15 employees (whether or not all of the employees work in the City) to implement over the course of the next year significant mandates aimed at addressing sexual harassment in the workplace, including posting and fact sheet distribution requirements. The Commission has now followed through with the officially sanctioned notice and poster. Continue reading “Poster and Notice Requirements for “Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act””