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Recently, New York State and New York City have continued the trend of enacting employee-friendly legislation and issuing broad enforcement guidance under their respective employment laws and regulations.  New York State and New York City employers should be aware of the following recent developments from 2018 and early 2019, and should take action to review and update their practices and policies for compliance.

New York City lactation room and policy laws — new policy requirement

Federal and New York State laws already require employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a room other than a bathroom where a nursing employee can express breast milk in privacy.  New York City recently passed two laws expanding those rights.  Effective March 18, 2019, New York City employers will be subject to additional specific requirements regarding the lactation room that must be made available to nursing mothers.  New York State law already requires that the lactation room be private, well-lit, and contain, at a minimum, a chair and small table, desk, counter, or other flat surface.  The New York City law will require additional amenities in the lactation room, including an electrical outlet and nearby access to running water, and that the employer provide a refrigerator suitable for breast milk storage in reasonable proximity to the employee’s work area.  Also effective March 18, 2019, New York City employers will be required to implement a written lactation room policy that meets specified requirements, and provide a copy of the policy to all employees upon hiring.  The policy must include a statement that employees have the right to request a lactation room, and identify a process by which employees may make such request (which process must meet certain minimum requirements).

“Cooperative Dialogue” amendments to New York City Human Rights Law

Effective October 15, 2018, New York City amended its Human Rights Law to require covered employers to engage in a “cooperative dialogue” with individuals who may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation related to religious beliefs, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition, or because the employee was a victim of domestic violence, sex offenses, or stalking.  The law requires that covered employers follow certain procedures when they receive a request for an accommodation, or when they have notice that an individual may need an accommodation, including the following:

New York City has recently adopted amendments to the New York City sick time law.  These amendments, which go into effect on May 5, 2018, will require action by New York City employers.

Background on New York City’s sick time law

Since April 1, 2014, all New York City employers have been required to provide sick time to their employees.  Whether such sick time is paid or unpaid depends upon the size of the employer.  New York City employers must provide each employee with a copy of the Notice of Employees Rights at the time of hire, and generally must maintain a compliant written sick time policy that is distributed to all employees.  Please see our prior legal updates for further detail on the requirements of the New York City sick time law, as follows:

New York City sick time law expanded to cover “safe time” under recent amendments

Recently, New York City passed a law, Int. 1313-A, that expands the reasons for which employees can use sick time to include “safe time,” and renames the law the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act.  These amendments become effective on May 5, 2018.

Action required by New York City employers in response to recent amendments to New York City sick time law

In response to these amendments, New York City employers need to do the following:

  1. On or before May 5, 2018, update their written sick time policies to reflect the new “safe time” provisions; and
  2. On or before June 4, 2018, provide all existing New York City employees with a notice of their rights to use their sick time for “safe time” leave reasons. Note that on or after May 5, 2018, the Notice of Employee Rights provided to new hires will also need to include notice to employees of their rights to take “safe time.”