Federal WARN Act Allows Three Exceptions (But Notice Must Still Be Given)

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act offers protection to workers and their families by requiring employers to provide 60 days’ notice to the employees and certain specified government agencies and officials in advance of covered mass layoffs and plant/office closings. An employer who violates the WARN notice requirements is liable to each … Read more

NYC Places Additional Obligations on Employers to Accommodate Nursing Mothers

In a prior post, we discussed how to draft a lactation break policy to accommodate nursing mothers and comply with federal and New York state law. Come March 18, NYC will place two additional obligations on NYC employers. The new obligations build upon existing New York state law, which currently requires covered employers to provide … Read more

2019: A Quick Look at the Year Ahead for NYC Employers

As 2018 wraps up, it’s time to take a quick look at some of the changes New York City employers should expect in the year ahead. Minimum Wage Increases On December 31, 2018, New York’s minimum wage will increase as follows: NYC – Large Employers (of 11 or more) – $15.00/hour NYC – Small Employers … Read more

Inclement Weather Considerations for New York Employers

Snow will soon be here and employers will have to make decisions about whether to close, keep regular hours, allow some or all employees to work from home, or have a delayed opening. The considerations from a labor and employment law perspective, as always, are many. We discuss some of them below. Safety The most important factor … Read more

New York’s “Extra Pay” Requirements for Non-Exempt Employees

Have you heard of “spread of hours” pay, “split shift” pay, and “call-in” pay? Don’t be surprised if you haven’t. New York has three extra pay requirements that aren’t found in the New York Labor Law, but rather in industry-specific wage orders promulgated by the Commissioner of Labor. The result is that some of the … Read more

By October 9, New York State Employers Must Revise Their Sexual Harassment Policies

By October 9, every employer in New York State is required to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy that meets or exceeds certain minimum standards. Specifically, the policy must: prohibit sexual harassment consistent with guidance issued by the New York State Department of Labor in consultation with the New York State Division of Human Rights; … Read more

NYC Employers Must Post Sexual Harassment Poster and Provide Fact Sheet to New Hires by September 6

Earlier this year, the Stop Sexual Harassment in New York City Act went into effect. One of the law’s requirements is that NYC employers must post and display a sexual harassment rights and responsibilities poster and provide a fact sheet to new hires by September 6, 2018. This month, the New York City Commission on … Read more

Should You Require Your Employees to Sign Arbitration Agreements with Class Waivers?

In late May, the Supreme Court upheld the lawfulness of class action waivers in arbitration agreements (Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, 584 U.S. ____ (2018)).  This means that employers are free to not only require employees to sign an agreement mandating that all of their employment disputes go to binding, private arbitration rather than courts, … Read more