New York State Enacts Pay Equity Legislation Creating Potential Exposure to All Employers

On July 10, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed two pieces of legislation into law aimed at curbing wage discrimination in the workplace. As a result, all employers in New York State must train managers, and human resources employees and immediately modify hiring, promotion and pay practices to ensure compliance with these new laws and avoid substantial exposure.

The first law, S5248B, amends the Labor Law to prohibit employers from paying an employee a lower wage based on any protected class (The Labor Law previously only prohibited differential pay based on sex). The new law also makes it easier for an employee to prove wage discrimination. Employers were previously only required to provide employees equal pay for "equal work" performed under "similar working conditions." The new lower standard requires the employer to pay employees for "substantially similar work when viewed as a composite of skill, effort and responsibility, and performed under similar working conditions."

The second law, S6549, prohibits employers from asking a job applicant or employee about their salary history and considering salary history in hiring or other employment decision even if the individual voluntarily discloses his or her salary history. An employer may only confirm an applicant or employee's salary history if in response to an offer, the individual discloses his or her salary history to negotiate a higher salary.

Freedom of Contract Ends Yellowstone Injunctions, What's Next?

Commercial landlords have been handed a major eviction victory by the state's highest court. However, this victory is only available to landlords who incorporates specific terms into their leases. Learn about those terms and you too can avoid a Yellowstone Injunction.

Read the full article by Andrew Lieb Esq. published in The Suffolk Lawyer here.

Supreme Court Rules That an Employer Can Forfeit its Right to Challenge an Employees Failure to Exhaust His or Her Administrative Remedies

The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously held that an employee’s failure to exhaust his or her administrative remedies in a discrimination claim pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) does not divest the court of jurisdiction. An employer’s ability to challenge an employee’s failure to exhaust his or her administrative remedies may, thus, be waived if not raised in a timely manner.

Read the full article by Mordy Yankovich, Esq. published in The Suffolk Lawyer here. 

Real Tips HR: New Discrimination Standard in NYS Coming Soon

Jokes which previously did not rise to the level for discrimination in the State of New York because they weren't pervasive may now qualify for a claim. Learn how even non-employees can bring suit for being offended by sex jokes. It's time to get your sexual harassment training today at www.discriminationpreventiontraining.com

Housing Discrimination and Facebook

On Monday, Governor Cuomo called on the Department of Financial Services to investigate reports that state-regulated advertisers are using Facebook, Inc.'s advertising platform to discriminate against protected classes.

Real estate brokers and mortgage bankers are state regulated advertisers - you are warned.

Get into compliance today before it is too late - call Lieb Compliance at 646.216.8038 for an audit, policies and trainings.