As New York City employers prepare to close out this year and make preparations for 2024, they should be aware of a new law impacting city employers and employees. On December 4, New York City’s Mayor Adams enacted a “Workers’ Bill of Rights” law. The law requires city employers to distribute a notice advising employees of their rights under federal, state and local law. The notice will also indicate what rights are available to employees regardless of immigration status and will include information about the right to organize.
The notice is yet to be prepared with the input of various organizations including the Department of Consumer Affairs and Worker Protection, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and other employees’ rights groups.
The notice should be available no later than March 1, 2024 and the law will take effect in July of 2024.
Once the notice is available, employers will need to provide it to existing employees and new hires and post the notice in a conspicuous location in the workplace. If an employer does not maintain a physical workspace, it will need to post the notice through an online system regularly used by both the employer and employees.
The notice must be provided in English and in any language spoken by at least five percent of the employer’s workforce.
After the first violation, an employer’s failure to comply with the law can result in a civil penalty of $500.00.
May you all have a happy and healthy start to the new year.