On March 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a new directive addressing pay equity audits. The new Directive 2022-01 sets forth what OFCCP views as its apparent authority to obtain access to and review federal contractors’ pay equity audits that are conducted in connection with contractors’ compliance mandates. 

 

Read More >> OFCCP’s Pay Equity Directive Takes Aim at Federal Contractors 

On Nov. 10, 2021, the New York City Council passed a bill that regulates employers and employment agencies’ use of “automated employment decision tools” in making employment decisions. The bill was returned without Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature and lapsed into law on Dec. 11, 2021. The new law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023. This new law is part of a growing trend towards examining and regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring, promotional and other employment decisions.

Read More >> New York City’s New Law Regulating the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Employment Decisions

New York entities have one month to prepare required notices to employees for certain types of electronic monitoring. On Nov. 8, 2021, Gov. Hochul signed into law an amendment to the New York Civil Rights Law, that requires any private individual or entity with a place of business in the state to provide notice to employees for certain types of electronic monitoring. The law goes into effect on May 7, 2022, pushing employers to determine the scope of their electronic monitoring activities and begin updating their policies and issuing notices to ensure compliance with the new law’s requirements prior to its effective date.

Read More >> Mark Your Calendars: One Month Until New York’s Law Requiring Notice of Electronic Monitoring of Employees Goes into Effect

On March 29, 2022, a federal court in Upstate New York permanently enjoined New York State from requiring employers to include a government-issued “notice” of workers’ rights and remedies in their employee handbooks regarding reproductive health decisions.

Read More >> Court Permanently Enjoins New York from Enforcing Employee Reproductive Rights Notice Provision

On April 1, 2022, New York’s Public Health Law § 2895-b regarding nursing home staffing levels went into effect. The law, initially meant to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, was suspended by executive order in light of ongoing staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 31, 2022, Gov. Hochul declined to extend the suspension. Nursing homes across New York must now comply with this law.

Read More >> New York’s Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Levels Law Takes Effect

On Jan. 15, 2022, the New York City council amended the City Human Rights Law to encourage equity and transparency in pay.¹ This amendment is part of larger national trend towards greater pay transparency. Several states have adopted similar laws, and the New York State legislature has introduced pay transparency legislation which is currently under consideration. On March 22, 2022, the City’s Commission on Human Rights issued guidance for employers providing some much-needed clarity in advance of the effective date. This blog post will outline the requirements of the new law, informed by that guidance, and it will provide recommendations for what employers can do now to get ready for this new compliance obligation.

Read More >> New York City Pay Transparency Law Update

In June 2020, New York repealed Civil Rights Law § 50-a and amended portions of the State’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), resulting in significant changes to the types of law enforcement records subject to public disclosure.

Read More >> As the Seasons Change, So Does New York’s Freedom of Information Law: The Application of NY’s FOIL to Law Enforcement Records

On March 16, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three bills into law that effectively amend the New York Human Rights Law (HRL) to increase sexual harassment protections for employees in New York. Please see our prior blog post for a more thorough summary of these new laws.

Read More >> Update on Amendments Strengthening Protections for New York Employees

On March 18, 2022, the NYS Department of Labor updated its NY HERO Act website to confirm that the NYS Commissioner of Health’s designation of COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health” ended on March 17, 2022.

Read More >> NY HERO Act Designation of COVID-19 Ended

On March 10, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (which enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and other federal wage and hour laws) announced that one of its top enforcement priorities is to protect workers from retaliation for exercising their rights. The USDOL launched an anti-retaliation page on its web site and published a Field Assistance Bulletin on the subject of retaliation.

Read More >> USDOL’S Wage and Hour Division Announces Priority of Protecting Workers from Retaliation

On March 1, 2022, the EEOC updated its guidance on religious accommodations to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. While the guidance states that job applicants and employees have a right to request a religious accommodation from an employer’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement under Title VII, the new guidance answers many questions specific to COVID-19 vaccination requirements and specifically addresses how employers should evaluate an employee’s religious objection to the vaccine.

Read More >> Updated Guidance on Religious Accommodations to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

The New York legislature has passed significant legislation that would further expand sexual harassment protections for employees in New York. This suite of legislation is intended to ensure that all public and private employees are treated in a fair manner and have the necessary resources available to seek accountability from their employers. If signed by the governor, the legislation will ban “no-rehire” clauses in settlement agreements, extend the statute of limitations for workplace harassment and discrimination claims, explicitly extend applicability of the New York Human Rights Law (HRL) to public employees, provide protection from unlawful retaliation, create a confidential sexual harassment hotline and enact the Let Survivors Speak Act. Each provision is discussed in turn below.

Read More >> New York Legislature Passes Significant Amendments to Strengthen Sexual Harassment Protections for Employees