New Laws in
New York City Geared Toward Protecting Women
Women’s
rights in the workplace a key focus for New
York
In
October, Governor Andrew Cuomo put his
signature on several bills that help to
promote equality for women in the workplace
as well as enhance the strength of existing
laws about domestic violence. The package
included eight bills in total, and is part
of the Governor's Women's Equality Act first
presented in 2013. The bill was passed
piecemeal through the legislature earlier
this year after one section of the law
directed at improving abortion rights was
ultimately not approved. According to Cuomo,
this package is geared towards helping women
all over the city, but also throughout the
country.
Cuomo
wants New York to be a model of women's
equality, setting the standard for other
states to follow. Some of the components of
this bill package include increasing
assurance for equal pay for equal work
between men and women, fighting sexual
harassment in the workplace, stopping gender
discrimination in employment as well as
credit and housing decisions, and fighting
human trafficking. Some of the other laws in
the package also help to strengthen
protections for domestic violence victims
and improve accommodations in the workplace
for pregnant individuals.
The
signing of these bills was a major
accomplishment for Cuomo, as the entire
package was two years in development.
Originally, the equality package included
ten separate bills, but controversy over the
abortion rights section of the bill
ultimately stalled progress. Republicans in
the Senate were opposed to this particular
component of the bill, so advocates
supporting the package ultimately focused on
passing the other measures.
The New
York Civil Liberties Union supported the
passage of this bill package stating that
the existing legal framework for women's
rights stood to be improved and that this
was a significant step in the right
direction. According to Cuomo, he does not
plan to give up on incorporating abortion
rights into statutes in New York. There are
several provisions that individuals across
New York should be aware of as a result of
this bill being passed:
·
Pay equity. Employers are now
forbidden from paying women less than men
when the same work is being performed. The
new version of this law eliminates a
previous loophole that gave employers the
right to prohibit employees from discussing
salaries.
·
Sexual harassment changes. Employees
are now protected from sexual harassment, no
matter the size of the company they work
for. The past law had defined employer as
individuals with more than four employees,
limiting victims at smaller workplaces from
being able to file a claim.
·
Discrimination based on family
status. The new laws prohibit employers from
discriminating against individuals as a
result of family status. Employers can now
be penalized for denying women with
families, promotions or recommendations for
being hired.
If you
believe you or someone you know has been
subject to
unfair employment practices, contact
experienced New York employment lawyers at
Hepworth, Gershbam & Roth PLLC at
212-545-1199 or
online for a free, confidential
consultation.
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attorney in New York today
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consultation and determine
whether you have a case. For
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