Doing the right thing is about to get a lot easier and safer for New York’s employees.
As a result, all of New York’s citizens will benefit.
Gov. Kathy Hochul late last month signed a bill that significantly expands legal protections for so-called “whistleblowers,” employees who report their companies for violations of law and matters of public safety.
Under the current law, employees who report unlawful policies and practices have very little protection from retaliation from their employers.
The new law, which takes effect on Jan. 26, changes the standard for which someone can bring a whistleblower complaint and expands the workplace protections for whistleblowers who come forward.
The new law (A5144A/S4394A) amends Section 740 of New York Labor Law by protecting employees who report activity that they “reasonably believe” violates a law, rule or regulation or that they “reasonably believe” poses a substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety.
That’s a subtle but significant change in the current law, which now requires that employees only be protected if they report a violation that actually violates the law or poses a public health risk.
The new law also limits how far employers can go in retaliating against whistleblowers.
Current law prevents employees from firing, suspending or demoting employees or other action related to their terms of employment. But employers often use other tactics to punish whistleblowers, such as blackballing them from other...
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