New Legislation Expands New York State Paid Family Leave

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that expands New York State’s Paid Family Leave legislation to allow caring for siblings. Paid Family Leave has been in effect since 2018 and is employee-paid insurance that provides paid time off to care for a newborn, bond with adopted or foster children, care for a family member with […]

NY HERO Act Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan Requirements Extended

On October 31, 2021, the Commissioner of the New York Department of Health announced that the designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a risk of harm to the public is extended until December 15, 2021.  As you may recall, all employers, regardless of size, were required to establish an airborne infectious […]

EEOC Issues Updated Guidance Addressing Religious Exemptions to Vaccine Mandates

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued updates to the COVID-19 Technical Assistance to provide additional guidance on religious exemptions to vaccine mandates in the workplace.  The updated guidance provides a new section “L” entitled Vaccinations – Title VII and Religious Objections to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, which follows a Question and Answer (“Q&A”) […]

New York State Issues Guidance Relating to Employee Cannabis Use and the Workplace

The New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) has published guidance intended to address some of the most common situations or questions in the workplace related to adult-use cannabis and the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”). As you may recall, under the MRTA, employers may take employment action or prohibit employee conduct where: An […]

New York Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Allowing Employees Facing Potential Layoffs to Petition Employers to Participate in a Shared Work Program

Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation allowing employees facing potential layoff to petition employers to participate in a Shared Work Program. Under this amendment to the New York Labor Law, workers facing layoffs in New York State now have a right to ask their employers instead to trim all worker’s hours and have unemployment insurance […]