From Albany to Manhattan, employers in some of the nation’s largest jurisdictions are facing significant legal changes. Staying ahead of these developments is essential to maintaining compliance and minimizing risk. This update highlights several key employment law changes in New York state and New York City that employers should be aware of now.

NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) Amendments Become Effective

Amendments to New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) became effective on February 22, 2026. The changes to the law require employers to provide 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick time to eligible employees, in addition to the paid safe and sick time already provided for by ESSTA. The additional unpaid safe and sick time must be made available to employees immediately at hire, and at the start of subsequent years, but does not rollover from year-to-year. Employees may use the unpaid safe and sick time as soon as it is received.

Under the Amendments, if an employee requests time off covered by ESSTA, the employer is required to provide safe and sick time unless the employee has no available time banked or specifically requests to use other leave instead of safe and sick time.

In addition to providing unpaid safe and sick time, the Amendment also expands applicable uses of safe and sick time to also include certain caregiving circumstances, to attend legal proceedings related to securing housing, when the employee or a family member has been the...

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