New York Legal Developments
As of June 2024
In Case You Missed It
Freelance Isn’t Free Act. New York State’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act went into effect on May 20, 2024. The Act requires every New York State business, that retains the services of a freelance worker, memorialize the terms of its relationship with the freelance worker in a written contract under certain conditions.
Upcoming Developments
Paid Lactation Breaks. Effective June 19, 2024, employers must provide 30 minutes of paid break time for expressing breast milk for an employee’s nursing child.
Know Your Rights (NYC). Effective July 1, 2024, all NYC employers must 1) post the required multilingual “Know Your Rights at Work” poster in the workplace, 2) provide a copy to each employee by July 1, 2024, and on or before an employee’s first day of work, and 3) post it to employer’s intranet or mobile app if those are “regularly used to communicate with employees” (i.e., a timekeeping app probably would not count).
Request for Access to Personal Accounts Prohibited. Effective July 11, 2024, employers are prohibited from demanding login information, including username and password information to popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter as well as login information to email accounts and other extremely personal accounts as a condition of hiring, as well as promotions, and lateral movement within companies.
Paid Prenatal Leave. Effective January 1, 2025, employers are required to provide 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave (in a 52-week calendar period) to employees during their pregnancy for healthcare services received related to said pregnancy. Services include physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with a healthcare provided related to the pregnancy.
NYS COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave. The New York State COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave law is set to expire on July 31, 2025.
This material is provided for informational purposes only. For additional information, please contact SHRM LI Legislative Committee Chair, Melissa Pascualini.
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