Labor & Employment (Paid Leave)

in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 6620: Requires employers provide its employees paid leave

This bill requires most employers to provide paid leave to employees based on business size: small employers (4+ employees) must offer 40 hours of paid sick leave and 40 hours of paid leave annually if they earned over $1 million last year; mid-sized employers (5-99 employees) must provide 40 hours each; and large employers (100+) must provide 56 hours of paid sick leave and 40 hours of paid leave annually. It also mandates 20 hours of paid prenatal leave per 52-week period starting in 2025, with employees accruing leave at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. The law covers leave for illness, family care, medical appointments, and safety-related reasons (including domestic violence or stalking), with "family member" defined broadly to include spouses, children, and parents. All employers must pay at the employee’s regular rate or minimum wage, whichever is higher, for covered leave.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid leave requirements for employers, expanding worker benefits and protecting rights through mandated sick, general, and prenatal leave provisions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Minimum Wage Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 7275: Establishes light duty during pregnancy and parental leave for railroad employees

This bill establishes two key protections for railroad employees working for state-run railroads: (1) requiring employers to provide light duty assignments during pregnancy (with full pay and benefits maintained), and (2) creating paid parental leave benefits (67% of average weekly wage, up to 12 weeks annually) for bonding with newborns or adopted children within the first year. Eligibility begins after 26 consecutive weeks of employment (or 175 days for part-time workers), with benefits payable starting on the 14th day of leave. The law applies to all railroad employees covered under state authority operations and explicitly preserves existing collective bargaining agreements. It takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill ensures full pay/benefits during pregnancy and parental leave, maintaining health insurance coverage and protecting employee health access during critical health periods.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid light duty during pregnancy and 67% wage parental leave, directly expanding worker benefits and protections under Labor & Employment policies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 5761: Provides for paid family leave following pregnancy outcome

This bill amends New York's workers' compensation law to provide paid family leave for employees recovering after specific pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion. It expands existing leave provisions by adding these scenarios as eligible reasons for taking leave under the "family leave" definition. The policy change directly affects workers who experience these events, allowing them to take paid time off from work for recovery without losing income, as defined under the amended law. The bill becomes effective 90 days after enactment.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands paid family leave benefits to cover pregnancy outcomes, directly protecting workers' rights and income during recovery without financial loss.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Paid Leave Workers' Compensation

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 5526: Relates to providing for rest between work shifts

Relates to providing for rest between work shifts; prohibits the scheduling of an employee to work the first ten hours following the end of the previous calendar day's work shift or on-call shift or the first ten hours following the end of a work shift or on-call shift that spanned two calendar days unless an employee consents or volunteers, in which case the employee shall be paid one and one-half times the regular rate of pay.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits mandatory work after shifts with 1.5x pay for exceptions, directly protecting worker rest periods and safety per Labor & Employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

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failed · New York · Assembly May 19, 2026

A 5494: Relates to leave time for certain employees to volunteer as a poll worker

This bill requires state, county, school district, and other public employers (including community colleges and public benefit corporations) to provide employees with up to 8 hours of paid leave annually to volunteer as poll workers during elections. The leave is excused (not deducted from other leave) and must be granted for election-related duties. Employers must establish simple guidelines for requesting and approving the leave, but the bill explicitly states it won't override existing collective bargaining agreements or employee benefits. The policy directly affects public employees who wish to serve as poll workers without losing pay or accrued leave time.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides paid leave for civic participation, expanding worker benefits and protecting rights to volunteer without pay loss.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Assembly Jan 7, 2026

A 5799: Relates to employment discrimination relating to family leave

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.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRemoves barrier for filing family leave discrimination claims, permits private right of action vs workers' comp, and covers legal fees - strengthening worker protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination Paid Leave Workers' Compensation

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passed · New York · Senate Mar 23, 2026

S 2499: Relates to employment discrimination relating to family leave

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.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill protects workers' rights by eliminating reinstatement requirement for family leave discrimination claims and enabling private legal action, strengthening employment protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 2503: Relates to paid family leave benefits for certain public employees

S 2503 requires public employers to provide paid family leave benefits to employees who are not represented by a union or employee organization. This applies specifically to public sector workers without union representation, mandating that their employer offer these benefits under existing workers' compensation law provisions (sections 204 and 208). The bill does not require union negotiations for these employees, unlike provisions for union-represented staff. Public employers must implement this benefit without needing collective bargaining input for non-union employees. The law takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid family leave benefits for non-union public employees, expanding worker benefits and employment standards under existing law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Paid Leave Public Employees

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 3945: Requires employers to provide paid vacation time

This bill requires most employers to provide paid vacation time based on an employee's length of service. Employees working 20+ hours per week become eligible after one year (2 weeks), three years (3 weeks), and five years (4 weeks) of employment. Employers cannot penalize workers for taking vacation, must allow requests with no more than four weeks' notice, and cannot force employees to work during their paid time off. The law allows employers to offer more vacation than required but prohibits reducing or revoking accrued time based on actual hours worked.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid vacation based on tenure, prohibits penalties for taking time off, and expands employee benefits - directly advancing worker protections and benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

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in committee · New York · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 1734: Relates to benefits and supplemental wages

Prohibits agreements to pay or provide benefits or wage supplements from including a provision specifying that an employee with accrued, unused vacation pay will not be compensated for such vacation pay upon termination; provides for a minimum of two weeks of wages upon termination to employees who receive granted time.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits denial of accrued vacation pay upon termination and mandates minimum two weeks' wages, directly protecting workers' rights and enhancing compensation benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

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