Clock is Ticking for NYC Employers: You Must Distribute Workers’ Bill of Rights By July 1

New York City officials just published the much-anticipated Workers’ Bill of Rights – and NYC businesses must provide a copy to current employees by July 1. You’ll also need to start providing it to any subsequent new hires. This Insight will give you a quick summary of your new obligations and give you a step-by-step compliance guide.

What is the Bill of Rights?

As we told you last year, the Bill of Rights is an internet-based reference tool laying out the workplace rights and protections afforded to NYC-based employees, job applicants, and independent contractors under federal, state, and local laws. It covers a wide array of topics, including minimum wage, sick leave, Paid Family Leave, anti-discrimination, and the right to organize into unions, among other rights. 

Per legislation enacted last year, businesses have until July 1 to post a notice of the Bill of Rights, which is QR code linking to the website, and distribute it to current employees and new hires moving forward. 

What’s Next?

Now that the New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) has published the Bill of Rights, you should be prepared for what’s to come.

• You must distribute the notice to current employees by July 1 and update your on-boarding packages to ensure the notice is provided to new hires.
• In addition to distributing the notice, you must post the Bill of Rights in an area of the worksite that is both accessible and visible to employees. Businesses that use a website or mobile application to regularly communicate with employees are also required to post the notice through those means.
• The Bill of Rights must be provided in English and any language spoken as the primary language by at least 5% of the workforce, provided the City has published it in the applicable language.

If you fail to provide or post the required Bill of Rights, you could face a $500 penalty. First time violators will be provided an opportunity to cure.

Conclusion

We will continue to monitor legislative developments – including any updates to the Bill of Rights – so make sure you are subscribed to Fisher Phillips’ Insight System to get the most up-to-date information directly to your inbox. If you have questions about this new obligation and whether your policies comply with workplace and other applicable laws, contact your Fisher Phillips attorney, the authors of this Insight, or any attorney in our New York City office.