Employment Law This Week®: Pay Data Collection, Strengthening Worker Protections, NJ’s “Wage Theft” Legislation
New Jersey Employers Face Tougher Penalties for “Wage Theft” - Employment Law This Week® - Trending News
Governor Kathy Hochul signed an amendment to the New York Penal Law this past fall, designating “wage theft” as a form of criminal larceny. In doing so, she and the State Legislature targeted “bad faith” employers who violate...more
In October 2023, we wrote an alert detailing an amendment to New York's Penal Code that added wage theft as a means of committing criminal larceny. This amendment, along with the creation of a specialized Worker Protection...more
Continuing a years’ long trend of extensive alterations to workplace laws, New York State and New York City continued to enact new workplace legislation impacting employers. A substantial number of enacted bills in the past...more
New York Codifies Employer Requirement to Notify Employees of Unemployment Benefit Rights - Gov. Hochul signed S4878A/A298. The law amends New York Labor Law Section 590 by adding a section that requires employers...more
Although 2023 perhaps did not see the passage of any laws quite as impactful as 2022—which, as employers will recall, included New York State enacting its own pay transparency law (see here) and novel New York City Council...more
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation (S.B. 5572) that, effective March 13, 2024, will change the salary threshold governing various exemptions under Article 6 of the New York Labor Law (“NYLL”). For...more
In recent weeks, New York enacted various employment laws that provide additional protections for New York employees. After reviewing the below, which summarizes the new laws in descending order of effective date, employers...more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation amending the New York Penal Law making wage theft a criminal larceny. Under the penal code, “[a] person steals property and commits larceny when, with...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation that, effective immediately, adds wage theft to the definition of “larceny” under the state’s penal code, creating potentially harsh penalties for the...more
As summer turns to fall, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, with choreographed fanfare, celebrated Labor Day by signing several employment-related bills into law. Notably missing from the Governor’s autograph spree was...more
New York employers have another reason to ensure that all employees are properly paid: the risk of criminal prosecution. On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an amendment to the New York Penal Law which...more
On Sept. 6, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law an amendment to the New York Penal Law that strengthens penalties for employers found to have committed “wage theft.” This amendment goes into effect immediately. The...more
During a busy term at the New York Legislature, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation prohibiting captive audience meetings, categorizing wage theft as larceny, and expanding protection of “gender identity or expression”...more
The 2023 New York State Legislature recently concluded its legislative session (after being called back for two weeks to consider certain pieces of legislation). The session ended with a flurry of activity relevant to...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The New York State Legislature has passed a bill that increases the earnings threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees to file a complaint with the New York Department of Labor...more
New York state lawmakers passed a flurry of employment-related bills in the final weeks of the legislative session. The bills – which now head to Governor Hochul’s desk for consideration – aim to provide workers in the state...more
As New York State employers know, there is a requirement to provide Notice of Pay Rate to new employees. Last month, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) issued an updated sample. Below is an overview of the...more
New York State has launched two statewide, toll-free “hotlines” that aggrieved individuals can use to confidentially report workplace issues. The first hotline, which addresses sexual harassment, was announced on July 19...more
The scope for liability related to employee wage claims has changed dramatically for contractors and subcontractors operating in New York under a new law that shifts wage payment obligations to prime contractors....more
In a series of significant recent decisions, Judge Pamela K. Chen of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, held that federal courts lack jurisdiction to hear claims alleging violations of New York’s wage...more
While most of our focus over the last year has been on COVID-19-related developments, New York State and New York City employers also must ensure compliance with other recent and upcoming legal changes...more
New York’s new wage theft law – expected to have a major impact on the construction industry state-wide – goes into effect on January 4, 2022 and will apply to contracts executed, modified, extended, or renewed from that date...more