New NYS laws in the workplace in 2025

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- From an increase in benefits to more protections against discrimination in the workplace, the year 2025 will bring some changes for employees in New York state.

For starters, New York's Paid Family Leave will increase. In 2025, workers who take family leave will see an increase of over $300 compared to 2024, making the maximum weekly benefit $1,177.

Senior Counsel at Tully Rinckey Jared Cook explained, "Maternity leave, paternity leave, that's kind of the most common reason; it can be anything. Any health condition. Let's say someone gets cancer and they are receiving treatment."

Also effective in January, a first-of-its-kind policy helping expecting mothers get to their prenatal appointments. Paid prenatal leave will require all private employers to provide an additional 20 hours of paid sick time for prenatal care appointments and procedures.

"There is no accrual for that. You don't have to be there for a certain period of time. It's as soon as the day you start working, all employees are entitled to that leave," Cook said.

Minimum wage workers will see a bump in their paycheck to $15.50 per hour in upstate New York. New legislation will expand worker's compensation benefits for all workers, allowing anyone who faces extraordinary work-related stress or job-related mental health crisis for workers' comp.

Cook added, "It has gotta be something more than, you know, 'I go to my office job; I'm stressed out by it.' The law uses the phrase 'extraordinary work-related stress.' That will remain to be seen how people substantiate these claims."

New York's Equal Rights Amendment passed by voters in November will add to the list of classes protected from discrimination. Cook says the laws meant to protect workers can be daunting sometimes for small business owners. "It's a trade-off. While these new regulations, protections can place a burden on employers, those burdens are often less than you might think once you get into it," he said.