New York Labor and Employment Law Report
May 8, 2024
On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace (the “Guidance”). The Guidance took effect immediately and supersedes the EEOC’s previously published guidance from the 1980s and 1990s
Read More >> EEOC Publishes New Guidance on Workplace Harassment for the First Time in Twenty Years
December 11, 2023
Effective Nov. 17, 2023, New York General Obligations Law 5-336 was amended to further restrict employers’ use of non-disclosure or confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements when the factual foundation involves discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Since its enactment, the law has broadly prohibited non-disclosure provisions in agreements to settle discrimination claims “unless the condition of confidentiality is the complainant’s preference.”[1]
November 27, 2023
On Nov. 17, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill S.3255, which amends Section 297 of the New York Executive Law by extending the statute of limitations for filing complaints of unlawful discrimination with the Division of Human Rights (DHR) to three years.
April 18, 2023
On April 11, 2023, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), in consultation with the New York State Division of Human Rights, released a revised sexual harassment prevention model policy. The policy is a final version of one that was first proposed on Jan. 12, 2023, and follows a period of public comment that ran through Feb. 11, 2023. At the same time, the DOL released a revised model sexual harassment training, which includes changes similar to those made to the policy.
Read More >> New York Releases Final Revised Sexual Harassment Prevention Model Policy & Training
January 23, 2023
On Jan. 12, 2023, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), in consultation with the New York State Division of Human Rights, released a revised sexual harassment prevention model policy for public review and comment. The agencies collected public input regarding the policy revision in late 2022, and DOL is providing a 30-day comment period for feedback prior to the revision being finalized. The comment period will run through Feb. 11, 2023.
Read More >> New York Releases Revised Sexual Harassment Prevention Model Policy for Public Comment
March 18, 2022
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
March 9, 2022
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.
February 14, 2022
On Feb. 10, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 4445 – the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021,” also known as the “#MeToo Bill.”
The #MeToo Bill will amend the Federal Arbitration Act, and will invalidate mandatory arbitration agreements that preclude an employee from filing a lawsuit in court arising from workplace sexual assault or sexual harassment. The Bill will have a significant impact on employment law, as these arbitration provisions are commonly included in employment contracts. The Bill will also limit the ways in which an employee can pursue their claims, and keep the details of those claims out of the public eye far more than a typical court proceeding.
June 15, 2020
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court held in a monumental decision that an employer who discriminates against an employee or applicant based on that individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
February 27, 2018
Just this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (which is the federal appeals court that covers cases that originate in the U.S. District Courts in New York) issued a decision holding that discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. On its face, Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on five protected categories: race, color, religion, national origin, and sex. This Second Circuit ruling now places sexual orientation on the same level of protection as those categories historically covered under Title VII.
