On January 9, 2019, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced legislation that would guarantee NYC employees two weeks of paid time off a year. The proposal would make NYC the first city in the country to mandate paid personal time off.
The proposed legislation would require private employers with five or more employees to give 10 days of Paid Personal Time to employees, to use for any purpose, including vacation, religious observances, bereavement and personal days. It is estimated the proposed legislation would provide paid time off to approximately 500,000 NYC workers who don’t already receive paid time off. The legislation would also guarantee that such existing time off cannot be taken away from the other nearly 3 million New Yorkers who already receive paid time off.
Under the proposal, employees would be eligible to take paid time off after 120 days of employment. Employers could require employees to provide up to 2 weeks’ notice and would have the right to reasonably deny such requests if too many requests are made for the same time period. The paid time off provided under the proposed legislation would be offered in addition to the five days of Paid Sick Leave New York City already requires employers of the same size to provide.
While people opposed to the legislation contend it is too radical or too extreme, de Blasio claims this is where things are headed. At least 10 other countries around the world already guarantee workers at least 10 paid days off. The Mayor contends the United States is “[an] exception, and it’s a bad exception.” The Mayor says change is coming and its starting in NYC.
While the proposal will still have to be approved by City Counsel, de Blasio has had luck passing progressive and somewhat radical laws in the past. Think: Fair Workweek. NYC employers should keep this proposal in the back of their minds. It might not be long before you will have to revisit and revise your time off policies. We will continue to keep you updated; stay tuned.
Brody and Associates regularly advises management on complying with state and federal employment laws. If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.com or 203.454.0560.
