This bill prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants or employees who had criminal charges dismissed after an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" (a legal process where charges are put on hold pending successful completion of conditions, like probation). It clarifies that such dismissed cases do not count as a conviction or admission of guilt, preventing employers from using them as a basis for denial of employment or licenses. The law amends existing criminal procedure statutes to explicitly state that these dismissed cases should not result in employment penalties or affect an individual's status. It directly affects people with these specific dismissed charges when seeking or maintaining employment.
This bill prohibits police departments from denying promotions to officers who miss traffic ticket quotas. It directly affects police officers whose promotion opportunities could be unfairly blocked due to unmet quota targets. The key provision explicitly states that denying a promotion "solely because" an officer failed to meet a ticket quota constitutes employment discrimination under labor law. The law amends New York's Labor Law to make this practice illegal, requiring departments to evaluate officers based on merit rather than quota compliance. The bill became effective immediately upon enactment.
S 5533 creates a permanent $1.2 billion fund to improve pay for New York child care workers. It requires that at least 75% of funds distributed to child care programs must increase compensation for direct caregivers (like teachers), 10% for administrators, and the rest for program quality or capacity. The bill mandates the state develop a minimum wage scale aligning child care pay with public school educators and prioritizes funding for programs serving high-need children, underserved communities, and those accepting state child care subsidies. Programs receiving funds must meet wage requirements and report how money is used.
Relates to requiring certain employers to provide workforce demographics and equity measurements to the division of human rights annually, including each employee's race, ethnicity, age, and sex or gender identity or expression, as well as the employee's job category, date of hire, salary or wages, training received, raises, promotions, disciplinary actions, terminations and benefits, including but not limited to unpaid benefits or privileges such as flexible scheduling, the ability to work from home, or the ability to bring children to work.
S 6634 prohibits New York employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants based on their status as a caregiver. It explicitly adds "caregiver" to the list of protected characteristics under state anti-discrimination law, alongside race, gender, disability, and other categories. The law defines a caregiver as someone providing daily care for a minor child, elderly person, or disabled family member (excluding domestic workers performing caregiving as part of their job). This protects individuals from employment discrimination related to caregiving responsibilities in hiring, pay, promotions, and other terms of employment.
Provides that an employee shall not be required to request reinstatement in order to file a discrimination claim regarding paid family medical leave benefits; permits a private right of action for certain violations as an alternative to a workers' compensation claim; provides for attorneys' fees and costs.
Provides that an employee shall not be required to request reinstatement in order to file a discrimination claim regarding paid family medical leave benefits; permits a private right of action for certain violations as an alternative to a workers' compensation claim; provides for attorneys' fees and costs.
Establishes it shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any prospective employer to make an inquiry about, or to act upon adversely to the individual involved based upon, any criminal conviction of such individual unless such employer first makes a conditional offer of employment to such individual.
This bill directs New York courts to interpret the state's labor law broadly in favor of workers to achieve its "remedial purposes," such as securing wages, preventing retaliation, and ensuring equal pay. It requires courts to construe exceptions and exemptions to labor law narrowly, maximizing deterrence of unlawful employer conduct. The law applies to all existing labor protections and does not create new rules - instead, it changes how courts must interpret current statutes to better protect workers' rights.
This bill increases penalties for employers who discriminate against employees. It sets penalties at three times the employee's previous year's wages and benefits, with half paid directly to the affected worker and half to the state treasury. Employers must cover all costs directly - insurance policies cannot exempt them from paying these penalties. The law also requires employers to restore affected employees to their prior positions or compensation and covers attorney fees if applicable.
