On April 19, 2020, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) announced that it has formed a COVID-19 response team to handle reports of harassment and discrimination related to the coronavirus outbreak.
On April 12, 2020, New York State became the latest and largest jurisdiction to impose face-covering requirements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 3, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the 2020-2021 state budget bills, part of which amended the Home Health Care Worker Wage Parity Law.
On April 3, 2020, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a comprehensive budget bill that, among other things, amends the New York Labor Law to require all New York employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave to their employees.
On March 10, 2020, the NYC Commission on Human Rights proposed rules addressing exceptions recognized under the city’s ordinance generally prohibiting pre-employment testing for marijuana and THC.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the nation, the governors in NY, NJ, and CT have mandated that all non-essential businesses cease operations and/or have the majority, if not all, of their workforces either telework or work from home.
New York State adopted new legislation on March 18, 2020 that provides employees, who are subject to a COVID-19 mandatory or precautionary quarantine or isolation order, with immediate paid or unpaid time off specific to the current crisis.
Effective February 6, 2020, New York employees who are out of work due to a labor dispute, such as a strike, are eligible to collect unemployment benefits after a waiting period of only 14 days.
State legislators across the country have introduced a spate of bills intended to crack down on businesses that move call center operations out of state. Several states adopted such laws, including New York and New Jersey, where new laws take effect soon.
