As the 2025 legislative session came to a close, the New York legislature passed Assembly Bill A584B/S4070B. The Bill entitled the “Trapped at Work Act” (the “Act”) was recently signed into law by the Governor and prohibits employers from requiring, as a condition of employment, reimbursement clauses or promissory notes that mandate repayment from employees who resign before a specified date.
Read MoreAs previously reported, amendments to the New York State Labor Relations Act (“NYSLRA”) in September expanded the law’s applicability to private sector employees who were previously explicitly excluded from the NYSLRA and have historically been subject to the federal National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) and the oversight of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) rather than state law. In essence, the amendments sought to expand the jurisdiction of the NYS Public Employee Relations Board (“PERB”) to cover these private sector employees. The amendments immediately faced separate legal challenges from both the NLRB and Amazon. In the Amazon case, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (“EDNY”) has now granted a preliminary injunction enjoining PERB from enforcing the amendments.
Read MoreAs employers prepare to ring in 2026, they should be aware of upcoming increases to the minimum salaries that executive and administrative employees must be paid in order to maintain their exempt status under New York law. These increases, along with increases to the minimum wage, take effect on January 1, 2026.
Read MoreThe New York City Council has passed a bill which would significantly broaden the scope of the City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA). The bill, which was sent to the Mayor late last month, proposes to expand the qualifying reasons employees can use leave, grants additional unpaid leave entitlements, and clarifies collective bargaining agreement waivers.
Read MoreOn October 9, 2025, the New York City Council approved and sent two bills to the Mayor’s desk for signature aimed at addressing alleged pay disparities at large New York City employers.
Read MoreIn response to the prolonged lack of a quorum at the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) and the Supreme Court‘s May 2025 ruling allowing President Trump’s removal of NLRB Chair Gwynne Wilcox to stand (at least for the time being), New York State has enacted legislation, colloquially referred to as the “NLRB Trigger Bill”, to fill the purported gap in protection and enforcement of labor relations laws. The bill, which Governor Hochul signed on September 5, 2025, amends the New York State Labor Relations Act (“NYSLRA”) by expanding its applicability to private sector employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) - employees who were previously explicitly excluded from NYSLRA coverage.
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