Governor Kathy Hochul today signed three pieces of legislation to strengthen workers’ rights in New York State. This support will uplift workers in addition to recent employee protections surrounding mandatory political and religious meetings, strengthening wage theft penalties, and increasing benefits for injured workers. The Governor’s action builds upon her nation-leading worker agenda that includes historic plans to increase New York’s minimum wage and index it to inflation, offering 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave to more than 150,000 state employees, and other initiatives to increase wages and benefits, expand prevailing wage, connect job seekers to employment opportunities, and help ensure retirement security for private sector workers.

“New York workers are the engines behind our robust economy and my administration will continue taking action to uplift them,” Governor Hochul said. “This legislative package will provide workers across New York State with fair wages and allow them to support themselves, their families, and our local economies.”

Legislation (S. 4878-A /A. 398-A) requires employers to give notice to their employees that they are eligible for unemployment insurance whenever the employer makes a permanent or temporary separation of the employee or reduces hours to a point that the employee qualifies for total or partial unemployment.

State Senator Shelley Mayer said, “New York faced catastrophic job losses in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic –– highlighting the vital role unemployment insurance plays in sustaining our communities and helping families stay afloat after job loss. This legislation will codify and strengthen existing regulations to ensure that workers who are laid off or have their hours reduced have the knowledge and information they need to access unemployment insurance. I am proud that in 2020, my office was able to help hundreds of individuals who lost their jobs and who struggled to access the benefits they were entitled to. This legislation came directly from the difficulties my constituents brought to my attention. I thank my colleague, Assemblymember Chris Burdick for his partnership on this legislation to directly address the frustrations our constituents faced. I thank Governor Kathy Hochul for signing this important legislation into law.” 

Assemblymember Chris Burdick said, “I am delighted that the Governor is signing this vital legislation to provide critical employer notification to employees who are laid off or whose hours are reduced. I am especially pleased for those who are partially unemployed, who may not realize that they may be eligible for unemployment benefits.” 

Legislation (S. 2518/A. 836) prohibits employers from requesting or requiring username, login information, and passwords, of personal accounts as a condition of hiring, as a condition of employment, or for use in a disciplinary action.

State Senator Jessica Ramos said, “As our lives move increasingly online, we have to set guardrails around a worker’s privacy. With this legislation, we are leveling out an imbalance that puts workers in a position of feeling like they have to agree to demands their boss demands of them. I would like to thank Governor Hochul for her continued partnership on making New York a state that looks out for the rights of working people.” 

Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, "The explosion in the use of social media such as Instagram, TikTok, and Threads has made for a greater availability of information than ever before. However, some employers make hiring and disciplinary decisions far beyond information that prospective and current employees share publicly. This includes requesting and demanding the username and password information for social media sites from their prospective and current employees and the login information to email accounts and other extremely personal accounts. Requesting and demanding this information constitutes a serious invasion of privacy on behalf of the employer and may lead to issues of unfair and discriminatory hiring and admissions practices. Employees have the right to make this information either public or private. They should have every right to maintain this privacy when it comes to their workplace or during an interview or admissions process and should not have to submit to this request for fear they will lose their job or not be hired otherwise."

Legislation (S. 1902-A/A. 1245-A) requires the Department of Labor to provide notice to unemployment applicants of the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC).

State Senator Cordell Cleare said, “Government works best when services and interventions are coordinated, rational and robust.  Those who are going through the unemployment process may very well need additional supports and they should not be met with silence and silos.  Now, as S1902-A is signed into law, individuals will be proactively notified of additional available benefits, including food assistance, nutrition education and access to health care services.”

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, "Between 2019 and 2021, one in ten New York households grappled with food insecurity, a problem that only grew during the pandemic as unemployment rates climbed. Despite the availability of programs to help families struggling to make ends meet, spreading awareness and breaking down the stigma associated with them continues to be a challenge. I thank Governor Hochul for signing into law my legislation to provide unemployment applicants with information about the WIC program. With this information, families will be able to get back on their feet faster without having to worry about where their child's next meal will come from."