Archives: New York

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Anti-Discrimination Laws Going “Intern”-ational? New York City Extends Its Human Rights Law to Unpaid Interns

Pat MuldowneyBy Pat Muldowney on Posted in Discrimination, New York
As we reported last October, a federal court in New York found that an unpaid intern could not bring a hostile work environment sexual harassment claim pursuant to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).  (Wang v. Phoenix Satellite Television US, Inc., Case No. 1:13-cv-00218-PKC (S.D.N.Y. 2013).  On March 26, however, the New York … Continue Reading

New York City Earned Sick Time Act Notice of Employee Rights Has Finally Been Published

Fanny FerdmanBy Fanny Ferdman and Laura Scully on Posted in ESTA, Leave of Absence, New York
As most New York City employers know by now, the New York City Earned Sick Time Act (“Act”) is scheduled to go into effect on April 1, 2014.  While the Act was adopted in the summer of 2013, it was subsequently amended after Mayor Bill DeBlasio entered office in 2014.  Employers should accordingly ensure that … Continue Reading

Are You Riding the Wave? Cities and States Pass New Paid Leave Statutes

Anat MaytalBy Anat Maytal on Posted in ESTA, Leave of Absence, New Jersey, New York
With this new year comes new resolutions and the implementation of new bills involving leave.  The Family and Medical Leave Act and similar state laws give covered employees the right to take leave for addressing certain health conditions, caretaking, or parenting, but that leave is unpaid.  Various states and cities have taken the initiative to … Continue Reading

Pregnant Employees Become the Subject of Heightened Attention and New Legislation

By Jeanine Conley and Laura Scully on Posted in Discrimination, EEOC, New Jersey, New York, Reasonable Accommodation
Over the past decade, the number of claims pregnant workers have filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has risen by almost 50 percent, according to the National Women’s Law Center (“NWLC”).  Most of these workers assert that their employers denied them reasonable accommodations, such as bathroom breaks, periodic rest breaks, breaks to facilitate … Continue Reading

Employers Under Continued Fire from Government Agencies and Legislature for Workplace Misclassification

Amy J. TraubBy Jeanine Conley and Amy J. Traub on Posted in Department of Labor, DOL, FLSA, Independent Contractor, New York, Wage and Hour
New York has just become the 15th state to formally align its efforts with those of the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) to crack down on the misclassification of employees as “independent contractors.”  New York joins 14 other states (including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Washington) that have partnered with the DOL to “root out bad … Continue Reading

Times, They Are A-Changing: Employers No Longer Permitted to Delay or Fail to Return NY Unemployment Insurance Requests – Penalties Now Imposed

Amy J. TraubBy Amy J. Traub and Mackenna Mosier on Posted in Department of Labor, New York
Last month, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) rather quietly effected legislation that had previously been signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 29, 2013, reforming New York unemployment insurance law effective October 1, 2013.  Many companies are just now beginning to receive a letter that looks this. The reform was enacted to … Continue Reading

Certain Deductions Allowed Under New York Labor Law, But Employers Beware

Amy J. TraubBy Amy J. Traub and Laura Scully on Posted in New York, Wage and Hour
The New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) issued final regulations last week governing how employers may make certain types of deductions from employee wages authorized under the New York Labor Law.  For years, there were very few exceptions to the Law’s general prohibition on wage deductions.  This changed last year, when the New York … Continue Reading

Interns and Anti-Discrimination Laws: Is Wang Employers’ High-Water Mark?

Pat MuldowneyBy Pat Muldowney on Posted in Harassment, New York, Retaliation
So you may have heard — a federal court in New York has dismissed an unpaid intern’s hostile work environment sexual harassment claim against a media company pursuant to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).  (Wang v. Phoenix Satellite Television US, Inc., Case No. 1:13-cv-00218-PKC (S.D.N.Y. 2013).)  In granting the defendant’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s … Continue Reading

Staffing Agency Employee May Sue Multiple Employers for Wrongful Discharge, Federal Court Rules

Todd LebowitzBy Todd Lebowitz on Posted in Discrimination, New York, Staffing Agency
Whose employee is it anyway? The answer may be everyone’s. Companies who use staffing agencies to supply workers may be considered joint employers of those workers, even if the staffing agency hires and pays the workers.  Both companies may be held liable for retaliation and wrongful termination, a federal court in New York has just … Continue Reading

Legal Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence on the Rise

By Ana Salper on Posted in Leave of Absence, New Jersey, New York
New Jersey and New York have joined a growing trend of states that have recently passed or are seeking to pass laws affording greater protections for victims of domestic violence.  As the national movement focused on strengthening protections for victims of domestic or dating violence grows, so too do employer obligations to provide time off … Continue Reading
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