Governor Kathy Hochul signed eight pro-worker bills in New York State, coinciding with the New York City Labour Day Parade. The new laws aim to protect workers, improve working conditions, and boost the state’s workforce. These actions reaffirm New York’s commitment to supporting working families and a strong middle class.
The Retail Worker Safety Act requires retail employers to provide workplace violence prevention training and information, based on a Department of Labor model program. Larger retailers must also provide silent alarms for employees in emergencies.
Another law mandates that car manufacturers reimburse dealerships based on retail labour time guides, ensuring fair pay for warranty repairs. This addresses manufacturers’ guides often underestimating actual labour time.
A key law requires public project contractors to submit payrolls to a public electronic database managed by the Department of Labor. This increases transparency and accountability in using public funds for construction.
Legislation on freedom of information requests mandates state agencies to notify public employees when their disciplinary records are requested. This ensures fairness and transparency in accessing such sensitive information.
To streamline civil service processes, new laws allow applicants to take competitive exams within 12 months of meeting requirements, mandate a five-year review and update of exam questions, ensure employees receive information about disability-related job duty judgments, and allow provisional credit for promotional exams. These changes modernise and improve the civil service system’s efficiency.
These actions were praised by labour leaders and organizations, including the New York State AFL-CIO, the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council, and the New York State Building Trades. They emphasized the positive impact on worker safety, fair wages, and transparency in public projects.
Signing these bills reinforces New York’s commitment to its workforce and strengthens worker protections and economic justice across various sectors.