Bill Text: NY S08219 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires employers to provide paid vacation time which is based on the length of time employees have been employed by such employers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-16 - REFERRED TO LABOR [S08219 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08219-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8219

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 16, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor

        AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation  to  requiring  employers  to
          provide paid vacation time

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new section  196-e  to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 196-e. Paid vacation. 1. Every employer shall offer paid vacation to
     4  each eligible employee based on length of employment, as follows:
     5    a.  After  one full year of employment, each employee shall be offered
     6  up to two weeks of paid vacation;
     7    b. After three full  years  of  employment,  each  employee  shall  be
     8  offered up to three weeks of paid vacation; and
     9    c. After five full years of employment, each employee shall be offered
    10  up to four weeks of paid vacation.
    11    2.  Any  employee  working an average of twenty hours per week or more
    12  shall be eligible for paid vacation pursuant to this section.
    13    3. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit  or  prevent
    14  an employer from providing an amount of paid vacation which is in excess
    15  of  the  requirements  set  forth in subdivision one of this section, or
    16  from adopting a paid leave policy that provides additional  benefits  to
    17  employees. An employer may elect to provide its employees with the total
    18  amount  of paid vacation required to fulfill its obligations pursuant to
    19  subdivision one of this section at the beginning of the  calendar  year,
    20  provided,  however  that  no  employer  shall  be permitted to reduce or
    21  revoke any such paid vacation based on  the  number  of  hours  actually
    22  worked  by  an employee during the calendar year if such employer elects
    23  pursuant to this subdivision.
    24    4. No employer shall be permitted to penalize any employee  for  exer-
    25  cising their right to vacation time pursuant to this section. No employ-
    26  er  shall  be  permitted  to  intimidate an employee into not exercising
    27  their right to vacation time under this section.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13694-01-3
        S. 8219                             2

     1    5. Employers shall set reasonable  policies  and  expectations  around
     2  granting  employee  vacation  requests.  Such  policies  may require the
     3  employee to provide a certain amount of notice to the employer prior  to
     4  the  start  of  the employee's vacation time; provided, however, that no
     5  employer shall require more than four full weeks prior notice.
     6    6.  Paid vacation time shall be granted in consecutive days. Employees
     7  entitled to more than one week of paid vacation time shall be  permitted
     8  to take such time in non-consecutive weeks if requested by the employee;
     9  provided,  however, that an employer may not require vacation time to be
    10  taken in non-consecutive weeks.
    11    7. No employer shall require any employee  to  undertake  any  action,
    12  including  communication and correspondence, related to their employment
    13  during the duration of their paid vacation time.
    14    8. Any employee, with the consent of their  employer,  may  choose  to
    15  forgo  their paid vacation time. Any employee who chooses to forgo their
    16  paid vacation time shall be paid at a  rate  of  double  their  standard
    17  wages  for  a  length  of time equal to the amount of paid vacation time
    18  such employee was entitled to.  Such  payment  shall  be  paid  to  such
    19  employee before the end of their employment year.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.