Labor & Employment (Labor Standards)

in committee · New York · Senate Jan 30, 2025

S 3842: Relates to providing more predictable and stable schedules for employees in low-wage occupations

Relates to providing more predictable and stable schedules for employees in low-wage occupations; provides that an employer shall pay an employee for at least 4 hours at the basic minimum hourly wage for each day an employee reports for work as instructed but is given less than four hours of work.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires employers to pay 4-hour minimum wage for reported shifts with insufficient work, protecting low-wage workers from lost income due to unpredictable scheduling.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Child Labor Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 4465: Restricts consecutive hours of work for health care workers

This bill restricts health care employers from requiring nurses or health care workers (excluding doctors, residents, and security staff) to work more than their regularly scheduled hours, except in specific emergencies or during ongoing surgical procedures. It defines "regularly scheduled work hours" to include pre-scheduled on-call time and shift report communication, and prohibits using on-call time as a substitute for mandatory overtime. Exceptions include health care disasters, official emergency declarations, unanticipated staffing emergencies, or procedures requiring continuous presence for patient safety. The law aims to protect patient care quality by limiting excessive work hours, without affecting existing rights under other laws or collective bargaining agreements.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRestricts excessive work hours for nurses, protecting healthcare workers' well-being and supporting medical staff conditions per bill's explicit language.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRestricts excessive work hours for nurses, protects against mandatory overtime, and defines scheduled hours to include on-call time, advancing worker safety and rights in labor/employment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Collective Bargaining Labor Standards

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 4048: Increases the minimum wage annually; repealer

This bill, the "Raise the Wage Act," increases New York's minimum wage to $21.25 per hour in New York City by 2028, $17.25 in the city's suburbs (Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester) by 2026, and gradually across the rest of the state. It repeals current static wage provisions and establishes automatic annual adjustments tied to inflation and productivity, mirroring the formula used for upstate wages since 2022. The bill directly affects all hourly workers covered under New York's labor law, particularly in low-wage sectors like home care and childcare. This indexing mechanism aims to prevent future erosion of purchasing power, ensuring wages keep pace with rising living costs.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly raises minimum wage to $21.25/hr in NYC by 2028 and establishes inflation-linked annual adjustments, directly strengthening wage protections for hourly workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 1698: Enacts the "standing is tiring (sit) act"

Enacts the "standing is tiring (sit) act"; requires employers to provide suitable seats to all employees where the nature of such employees' work reasonably permits seated work; prohibits employers from artificially designing a work space to require standing; requires the department of labor to determine whether the nature of work reasonably permits seated work; creates a private right of action for employees whose employer does not provide seats.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires employers to provide seats where feasible, prohibits forced standing, and creates legal recourse - directly strengthens workplace safety and worker rights per Labor & Employment indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Workplace Safety

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 6575: Relates to employee petitions to participate in a shared work program and to employer responses to such petitions

Relates to employee petitions to participate in a shared work program and to employer responses to such petitions; requires such petitions to be submitted to the commissioner of labor and to be made available for public access on the department of labor website.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill enables employee petitions for shared work programs with public transparency, facilitating access to employment stability benefits without restricting worker rights.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Child Labor Labor Standards

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 8474: Extends the authority and oversight of wage boards to include benefits and working conditions and changes the reference to such boards as workers' boards

Extends the authority and oversight of wage boards to include the consideration of minimum standards for benefits and working conditions; changes the reference to such boards as workers' boards.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExtends wage boards' authority to set minimum standards for benefits and working conditions, directly advancing worker protections and employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 5991: Requires employers provide its employees paid leave

S 5991, the "LEAVE Act," requires most employers to provide paid sick leave and paid leave based on company size: small businesses (4+ employees with >$1M income) must offer 40 hours paid sick leave and 40 hours paid leave annually; mid-sized (5-99 employees) get 40 hours each; large businesses (100+) get 56 hours sick leave and 40 hours paid leave. Employees accrue leave at 1 hour per 30 hours worked, with protections covering medical needs, family care, and domestic violence situations (including safety planning and legal support). The bill also mandates 20 hours of paid prenatal leave annually starting in 2025, to be taken in hourly increments at the employee’s regular pay rate. It applies to all covered employers in the state and prohibits requiring confidential health disclosures as a condition for leave.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill provides paid leave for medical needs, improving access to healthcare services without financial penalty for employees90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid sick leave and other leave for employees, expanding worker benefits and protecting rights for medical/family needs per bill requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Senate May 14, 2026

S 8589: Enacts the automation displacement protection act

Requires covered employers to provide notice to certain affected employees prior to any technological displacement; requires reporting; requires a workforce transition period; makes related provisions.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires employer notice and transition periods before tech-driven job losses, protecting workers' rights during displacement.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards Workforce Development

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 4278: Enacts the Empowering People in Rights Enforcement (EMPIRE) Worker Protection Act

Enacts the "Empowering People in Rights Enforcement (EMPIRE) Worker Protection Act"; relates to the delegation of state enforcement authority to private actors; authorizes an affected employee, whistleblower, representative organization or an organizational deputy to initiate a public enforcement action on behalf of the commissioner for certain provisions of the labor law, or any regulation promulgated thereunder.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAuthorizes employees, whistleblowers, and organizations to initiate enforcement actions for labor law violations, strengthening worker protection mechanisms.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards Workplace Safety

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in committee · New York · Senate Dec 24, 2025

S 448: Enacts the Empowering People in Rights Enforcement (EMPIRE) Worker Protection Act

This bill creates a new enforcement mechanism allowing certain workers, whistleblowers, or labor organizations to file public lawsuits on behalf of New York's labor department to address violations of specific labor laws. It enables private parties to initiate enforcement actions for issues like unpaid wages or misclassification (covered under Articles 5, 6, 9, 19, 19-A, 19-B, and 25-A), with civil penalties collected going to the state treasury. The law aims to supplement limited public enforcement resources by empowering workers and organizations to act as "private attorneys general" while protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. It explicitly excludes government agencies as targets and applies only to violations covered by designated labor law sections.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCivil penalties from labor violations collected by the state treasury directly increase state budget revenue, aligning with fiscal responsibility and funding mechanisms.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEnables private lawsuits for unpaid wages/misclassification under labor laws, strengthens enforcement mechanisms, and directs penalties to state treasury to protect worker rights.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards Workplace Safety

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