As we previously reported, on January 26, 2022, amendments to New York’s whistleblower law took effect that significantly expand the scope and coverage of whistleblower rights and protections for workers who allege they have...more
2/17/2022
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
State Labor Laws ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
On February 9, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would let the New York mask mandate lapse on its Thursday, February 10, 2022 expiration date. The Governor’s lifting of the statewide rule, which required...more
In the United States, the federal government has faced challenges in imposing vaccination mandates for large private employers, federal contractors, and certain health care employees. Because of that, choices around...more
2/8/2022
/ Complaint Procedures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Entities ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As we previously reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance to shorten its isolation and quarantine requirements. Joining other states and localities, on January 4, 2022, the New York...more
The New York State Acting Commissioner of Health has extended the designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to public health under the NY HERO Act until February...more
As explained in greater detail by our colleague Stuart M. Gerson, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down two major, and quickly decided, rulings on January 13, 2022. After hearing oral arguments only six days...more
The city (and state) that never sleeps kept busy last year, enacting various laws that affect New York State and City employers in 2022. Below are some of the more recent enactments that employers should pay particular...more
1/10/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Masks ,
Minimum Salary ,
New York ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
As we previously reported, in December New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a mandate requiring that masks be worn in all indoor public places, unless the business or venue requires proof of vaccination for entry. As part...more
On December 22, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (NY DOL) issued the long-awaited proposed rule (Proposed Rule) regarding the workplace safety committees that are required by the New York HERO Act (HERO Act)....more
On December 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an update to its isolation and quarantine guidance. Although the CDC’s update shortens both the isolation and quarantine periods, as...more
New York City’s private employer vaccine mandate became effective Monday. December 27, 2021 and, the City has updated its FAQs document and the Accommodations Guidance document (“Guidance”)....more
As we previously reported, New York was one of the first states to require employers to provide paid COVID-19 vaccination leave for public and private employees. On November 23, 2021, the New York City Council approved a...more
On December 17, 2021, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the nationwide injunction against the COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by...more
12/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On December 15, 2021, New York City followed up on the recently announced vaccine mandate for private employers by releasing further details, including several guidance documents and mandatory signage. The New York City...more
The Commissioner of the New York Department of Health has extended the designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to public health under the NY HERO Act until...more
Employers that monitor their employees’ electronic activities should note that New York State will soon require employers to (i) provide written or electronic notice to employees upon hiring of such monitoring in the...more
On December 6, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would be adding new rules and requirements for vaccination against COVID-19, including a “universal” vaccine mandate affecting all private employers—about...more
On Friday, November 12, 2021, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a strongly worded decision granting a motion to prevent the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from...more
As we previously reported, effective November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that covered...more
On November 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the long-awaited COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees. At the...more
On November 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule (the “Rule”) requiring COVID-19 vaccination for staff at Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers. The...more
11/8/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Vaccinations
On Monday, October 25, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued updates to its online technical assistance for employers, providing guidance for managing workplace issues arising from the ongoing...more
10/28/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Beliefs ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
Vaccinations
On September 23, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) released an update to its general model airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plan (“model plan”) for employers’ use in complying with the NY...more
On September 6, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she has designated COVID-19 a serious public health risk under the NY HERO Act (“HERO Act”). As we have previously reported, the HERO Act, which was signed...more
As businesses find useful new ways to harness the evolving technology that captures and analyzes human biometric data, legal regulation of such technology’s usage is also developing, responding to concerns about personal...more
8/20/2021
/ Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
New York ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Privacy Laws ,
SHIELD Act ,
State and Local Government