In response to thousands of agency complaints it received in 2023, the New York State Department of Health has issued guidance to hospitals regarding compliance with recent legislation on clinical staffing committees and hospital staffing plans.
Court rejected employee’s claims that permitting employees to speak only Japanese in business meetings, where individuals who do not speak Japanese are present and are without an interpreter, constitutes unlawful discrimination based on race/ethnicity.
A federal judge in New York recently cast doubt on the validity of state laws that seek to restrict employer speech in connection with union organizing.
On January 16, 2024, Governor Hochul announced her Executive Budget Proposal for the 2025 fiscal year, which includes language that would provide significant relief to employers currently faced with an onslaught of “frequency of pay” litigation.
On December 20, 2023, the New York City Council passed a bill (Proposed Int. No. 563-A) that would create a private right of action to seek damages and other relief for violations of New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA).
On December 3, 2023, the NYC Council passed a bill requiring the Department of Consumer and Worker Production, in coordination with other entities, to publish a workers’ bill of rights on the City’s website.
The federal government, states, counties, and cities were active again this year passing workplace legislation intended for the most part to protect employees, creating new compliance obligations for employers.