NY Paid Leave Bill: How It Helps Coronavirus-Affected Workers

ALBANY, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state lawmakers voted on bills concerning paid sick leave and additional coronavirus quarantine protections Wednesday in Albany. The bills are signed as expected, the governor's office said in a news release Thursday.

The general paid sick leave measure applies to all New York businesses, though the specifics depend on the size of the business. Small businesses — those with four employees or less and a net income of under $1 million — will have to provide at least five unpaid days of sick leave per year. Any business with five to 99 workers or over $1 million in annual income will have to provide five days of paid sick leave each year. Business with more than 100 workers will have to offer seven days of paid sick leave.

"The paid sick leave measure we've agreed to today expands those protections to all New Yorkers because no New Yorker should lose their job or income for following a critical public health order,” Cuomo said.

The bill also includes temporary coronavirus quarantine rules that apply to employees under quarantine or isolation orders for COVID-19:

• Employers with 10 or fewer employees and a net income less than $1 million will provide job protection for the duration of the quarantine order and guarantee their workers access to paid family leave and disability benefits for the period of quarantine including wage replacement for their salaries up to $150,000.
• Employers with 11-99 employees and employers with 10 or fewer employees and a net income greater than $1 million will provide at least five days of paid sick leave, job protection for the duration of the quarantine order, and guarantee their workers access to paid family leave and disability benefits for the period of quarantine including wage replacement for their salaries up to $150,000.
• Employers with 100 or more employees, as well as all public employers regardless of number of employees will provide at least 14 days of paid sick leave and guaranteed job protection for the duration of the quarantine order.

The quarantine paid leave rules are effective immediately.

Follow the latest Long Island coronavirus news here.

The state previously tried to address an expected number of mass layoffs. The state Department of Labor wrote on its website that it will waive a week-long waiting period for folks who lost their jobs because of "coronavirus closures or quarantines.”