Reminder: New York Clean Slate Act Effective November 16, 2024

As we previously reported, the New York State Clean Slate Act will become effective November 16, 2024.  The new law provides for the automatic sealing of certain criminal history records and new obligations for employers that conduct background checks. Specifically, for individuals with a misdemeanor conviction, if at least three years have passed since the […]

New York State Paid Family Leave Contribution Rate and Benefits to Increase in 2025

The New York State Department of Financial Services has announced changes to the employee contribution rate and benefit amounts under the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“NY PFL”) for 2025.  Effective January 1, 2025, the contribution rate will be 0.388% of an employee’s gross wages per pay period, for a maximum annual contribution of […]

New York Voting Leave Reminders for Employers

As the presidential election draws near, it is important for employers to be aware of what their obligations are under the law when providing leave for their employees to vote. Under the New York Election Law, employers must provide for up to two hours of paid time off to enable an employee time to vote […]

New York Retail Worker Safety Act Signed into Law

On September 4, 2024, Governor Hochul signed into law the New York Retail Worker Safety Act which will impose significant workplace violence prevention requirements on retail employers.  Most of the law’s provisions will take effect on March 1, 2025. Specifically, under the new law, retail employers with ten or more employees will be required to […]

Federal Court Strikes Down the FTC’s Non-Compete Ban

As you may recall, earlier this year we reported that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a final rule banning non-compete agreements for all workers.  The rule was to take effect on September 4, 2024.  However, on August 20, 2024, a federal court struck down the ban deeming it unlawful. Specifically, in Ryan LLC v. […]

New Rules Proposed Governing the New York City Fair Chance Act

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has issued proposed amendments to its rules governing employment discrimination based on criminal history.  Specifically, the proposed rules amend portions of the New York City Fair Chance Act which prohibits employers from inquiring into an applicant’s criminal background before a conditional offer of employment is made or […]

Reminder: New York State Freelance Isn’t Free Act Takes Effect on August 28, 2024

As we previously reported, New York recently enacted the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act,” which provides new protections for freelance workers throughout the state.  As a reminder, the new law takes effect on August 28, 2024, and sets forth certain requirements for employers when retaining the services of a freelance worker.  The key aspects of the […]

NLRB Issues the Fair Choice-Employee Voice Final Rule

On July 26, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a final rule—The Fair Choice-Employee Voice Final Rule, that rescinds and replaces several amendments the NLRB made in April 2020.  Specifically, the final rule makes three significant changes which are detailed more fully below: (1) it restores the NLRB’s previous “blocking charge” policy; (2) […]

Increased Fines Imposed for I-9 Regulation Violations

On June 28, 2024, the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) issued a final rule that will impose higher fines on employers that fail to comply with I-9 regulations.  According to DHS, the final rule adjusts its civil monetary penalties for 2024 to account for inflation.  The increased penalties for I-9 violations are as […]

New York State Freelance Isn’t Free Act Takes Effect on August 28, 2024

On November 22, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act,” which provides new protections for freelance workers throughout the state.  The new law takes effect on August 28, 2024, and sets forth certain requirements for employers when retaining the services of a freelance worker.  The key aspects of […]

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule Increasing Overtime Exemption Threshold and Salary Requirements for Highly Compensated Employees

The U.S. Department of Labor has published a final rule that raises the minimum salary threshold to qualify for the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).  The final rule also increases the salary requirements for the highly compensated employee exemption and provides for future updates of these […]

Reminder: New York City Employers Must Post and Distribute“Know Your Rights at Work” Poster by July 1, 2024

As we previously reported, beginning July 1, 2024, New York City employers must display and distribute the “Know Your Rights at Work” poster which can be found here: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/workers/KnowYourRightsAtWorkPoster.pdf.  The poster contains a QR code that refers employees to the New York City Workers’ Bill of Rights website.  Employers are required to post the “Know […]