This bill (S 2313) grants New York veteran employees the right to request an unpaid leave of absence from work on Veterans Day (November 11) each year. To qualify, veterans must provide written proof of service to their employer by October 15 and be a New York resident. Employers may deny the leave only if it causes undue hardship to business operations, and the leave must be taken as unpaid time or deducted from existing paid leave. The law does not override collective bargaining agreements or affect veterans covered by other specific laws.
This bill (S 3354) allows eligible public employees in New York State to transfer unused sick leave to colleagues facing medical or family emergencies. It directly affects state, county, municipal, school district, and retirement system employees (e.g., teachers, civil service workers) who are covered under specific retirement systems. Key provisions require that transfers only occur between employees under the same employer jurisdiction (e.g., state employees can only help other state employees), recipients must exhaust their own sick leave first, and employers may require medical documentation for approval. The bill explicitly states it does not override existing collective bargaining agreements or employment contracts.
This bill clarifies which employees are covered under New York's labor relations law. It states that the law does not apply to employees covered by federal labor laws (like the National Labor Relations Act), employees where the federal National Labor Relations Board has jurisdiction, or state/local government employees. For all other employees, the state labor board must promptly certify existing union representatives and keep current workplace terms in effect during the certification process. This ensures continuity for unionized workplaces not already governed by federal law.
Requires the principal of any high school to allow any local trade union, upon request, to enter the school for the purpose of trade union recruitment, including, but not limited to: making presentations; disseminating literature; and answering questions by students.
This bill repeals existing laws that prohibit public employees and their organizations from striking in New York. It removes specific provisions in the civil service law that banned strikes, imposed penalties like payroll deductions for violations, and required disciplinary actions against employees participating in strikes. The repeal directly affects public employees (such as teachers, sanitation workers, and government staff) and their unions by eliminating legal barriers to organizing strikes. This change would allow public employees to legally engage in strike activity under current labor laws, as the prohibitions are being removed. The bill does not create new strike rights but removes the existing ban.
Requires the principal of any high school to allow any local trade union, upon request, to enter the school for the purpose of trade union recruitment, including, but not limited to: making presentations; disseminating literature; and answering questions by students.
Limits the number of consecutive hours worked by certain employees of cities of one million or more; provides that employees of cities of one million or more who are subject to a collective bargaining agreement shall not work more than 17 consecutive hours in a work day.
This bill bans employers from requiring workers to sign agreements that force them to pay money if they leave employment before a set period (e.g., "reimbursement for training" clauses). It directly affects all workers, including employees, interns, volunteers, and contractors, by prohibiting these "employment promissory notes" as a condition of hiring. Key exceptions include repayment for actual training costs, property purchases, or collective bargaining agreements. Violations carry fines up to $5,000 per worker, and workers can recover attorney fees if sued over invalid clauses.
Provides that no provision of section eighty of the civil service law shall modify, replace or supersede any provision of a collective bargaining agreement that provides for greater rights than required by such section.
This bill requires consumer and employment contracts to use plain language that a reasonable person can understand, prohibiting confusing terms or hiding important details in separate documents. It applies to standard consumer agreements (like credit cards or services) and employment contracts, but excludes union-negotiated contracts. Consumers or employees can ask a court to rewrite non-compliant contracts to reflect what the parties reasonably understood. The law takes effect 180 days after enactment.
