03-04-2026
NYC Employer Insight: New York City plans to crack down on employers who do not comply with worker time-off requirements. Last fall, the city passed a new law that guarantees 32 hours of unpaid time off each year for full-time employees. The law just went into effect and adds more legally protected reasons for workers to take time off, including caring for children on school holidays, caring for family members with disabilities, and attending court hearings. Workers may also take time off during public emergencies (such as snowstorms) and when the employee or a family member is the victim of workplace violence. These hours vest when the employee begins working and reset at the beginning of each year. (New York Times)
As part of the plan to enforce this new law, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection commissioner sent warning letters to 56,000 companies across New York City. These warning letters outlined the law’s requirements and reiterated potential consequences for violations. Civil penalties for violations can range from $250 to $2,500 per employee, plus back pay. Many of these workers are also legally entitled to paid sick time in addition to the unpaid job-protected time.
The Department will track employer compliance by reviewing how much time workers take off. A recent report revealed that only about half of eligible New York City workers missed a day of work in the last year due to illness, injury, or disability. Mayor Mamdani said it is a “red flag” when he sees an employer where the workers have not used any of their paid time off. These workers have “been told in either explicit or implicit terms that there will be repercussions” if they use that time. The city will consider information that no workers have taken days off as “strong evidence of potential violations.” Formal investigations into those employers will follow that finding.