Labor & Employment

in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 4760: Relates to collective bargaining rights for college athletes and authorizes the public employment relations board to exercise jurisdiction over collective bargaining matters

Relates to collective bargaining rights for college athletes; authorizes the public employment relations board to exercise jurisdiction over institutions of higher education and college student athlete employees of such institutions in relation to all collective bargaining matters.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly authorizes collective bargaining rights for college athletes as employees, directly strengthening worker organizing and negotiation rights under labor law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Labor Standards Professional Licensing

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 6634: Prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals based on such individual's status as a caregiver

S 6634 prohibits New York employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants based on their status as a caregiver. It explicitly adds "caregiver" to the list of protected characteristics under state anti-discrimination law, alongside race, gender, disability, and other categories. The law defines a caregiver as someone providing daily care for a minor child, elderly person, or disabled family member (excluding domestic workers performing caregiving as part of their job). This protects individuals from employment discrimination related to caregiving responsibilities in hiring, pay, promotions, and other terms of employment.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill prohibits employment discrimination based on caregiver status, expanding anti-discrimination protections for workers' rights under New York law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 5573: Relates to civil actions brought by employees

This bill (A 5573) allows employees to directly sue employers in court for violations of workplace safety, health, or violence standards. It directly affects employees who face such violations, enabling them to seek remedies like job reinstatement, back pay, and attorney fees. Key provisions include a 3-year filing deadline (paused if an employee files a complaint with the labor commissioner), and courts can order employers to stop violations, pay damages, and cover legal costs. The law does not require waiting for a government investigation to file a lawsuit.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEnables direct lawsuits for workplace safety violations, allowing employees to seek reinstatement, back pay, and damages - directly strengthening worker protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Workplace Safety

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 5526: Relates to providing for rest between work shifts

Relates to providing for rest between work shifts; prohibits the scheduling of an employee to work the first ten hours following the end of the previous calendar day's work shift or on-call shift or the first ten hours following the end of a work shift or on-call shift that spanned two calendar days unless an employee consents or volunteers, in which case the employee shall be paid one and one-half times the regular rate of pay.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits mandatory work after shifts with 1.5x pay for exceptions, directly protecting worker rest periods and safety per Labor & Employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 6867: Relates to prevailing wage for covered airport workers

This bill establishes prevailing wage and overtime standards for specific airport service workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport under the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It covers workers in categories like cleaning, security, passenger handling, airline catering, and airport lounge services who spend at least half their time at these locations, excluding roles such as mechanics, cargo handlers, concession staff, and direct Port Authority employees. Key provisions require employers to pay the higher of the state minimum wage or Port Authority policy, plus a $4.54 hourly benefits supplement for the first 40 weekly hours. The law mandates employer reporting to the labor commissioner and includes enforcement mechanisms for compliance.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes prevailing wage and overtime standards for airport service workers, directly increasing compensation and protecting workers' rights per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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failed · New York · Assembly May 19, 2026

A 5494: Relates to leave time for certain employees to volunteer as a poll worker

This bill requires state, county, school district, and other public employers (including community colleges and public benefit corporations) to provide employees with up to 8 hours of paid leave annually to volunteer as poll workers during elections. The leave is excused (not deducted from other leave) and must be granted for election-related duties. Employers must establish simple guidelines for requesting and approving the leave, but the bill explicitly states it won't override existing collective bargaining agreements or employee benefits. The policy directly affects public employees who wish to serve as poll workers without losing pay or accrued leave time.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides paid leave for civic participation, expanding worker benefits and protecting rights to volunteer without pay loss.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 863: Relates to requiring the department of labor to conduct a study on the impact of job automation

This bill requires New York's Department of Labor to study how job automation impacts the state's workforce. The study must analyze technology trends, occupations at risk of job loss, regional economic effects, and impacts on different worker groups (including age, race, and income), plus propose retraining strategies. The Department must publish a final report to state leaders by December 31, 2026. The bill expires January 1, 2027, making it a time-limited study mandate with no immediate policy changes.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill mandates study on automation impacts and proposes retraining strategies to protect workers from job loss, aligning with labor protection goals.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Workforce Development

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 4387: Requires consideration of union made commodities and services in the awarding of certain procurement contracts

Requires consideration as a quantitative factor whether the commodities or services were manufactured or will be performed by a labor union with respect to the awarding of certain procurement contracts.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill mandates union-made goods consideration in procurement, boosting demand for union labor and strengthening collective bargaining efforts.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 5799: Relates to employment discrimination relating to family leave

Provides that an employee shall not be required to request reinstatement in order to file a discrimination claim regarding paid family medical leave benefits; permits a private right of action for certain violations as an alternative to a workers' compensation claim; provides for attorneys' fees and costs.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRemoves barrier for filing family leave discrimination claims, permits private right of action vs workers' comp, and covers legal fees - strengthening worker protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination Paid Leave Workers' Compensation

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 5594: Establishes a tax credit for small businesses employing an eligible immigrant worker

This bill creates a $1,500 tax credit for small businesses (with 50 or fewer employees) that hire and retain eligible immigrant workers in full-time positions for at least six months. The credit directly benefits qualifying small businesses by reducing their tax liability and supports immigrant workers seeking stable employment. Businesses claim the credit per eligible worker hired and maintained for the required six-month period. The policy change applies only to small businesses meeting the employee threshold.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates $1,500 tax credit for small businesses, reducing tax liability and providing targeted tax relief per eligible worker hired.90% confidence ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationBill S 5594 establishes a tax credit for small businesses employing eligible immigrant workers, directly supporting immigrant employment and integration.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentTax credit incentivizes small businesses to hire/retain immigrant workers in full-time roles, directly supporting stable employment and labor market participation per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Credits Work Authorization Tags Small Business

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