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Cuomo signs bill to guarantee paid leave for New Yorkers under mandatory or precautionary quarantine due to COVID-19

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Wed, Mar 18th 2020 07:55 pm

"I just signed into law legislation to provide immediate relief to working New Yorkers whose lives are being turned upside down by COVID-19,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. "No one should have to make the impossible choice between losing their job or providing for their family and going to work, especially during this pandemic. We seek to build upon this effort with guaranteed sick leave for all in this year's budget.

"In New York we stand with our workers in sickness and in health."

“No one should have to worry about losing their job should they come down with or are quarantined because of the coronavirus,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said. “The legislation we passed will help save lives by ensuring people that are sick stay home, and it will allow people to recover without having to worry about losing their livelihood. The Assembly Majority will continue working, both safely and relentlessly, to put New York families first during this health emergency and beyond.”

Assembly Labor Committee Chair Marcos A. Crespo said, “In a time of a global pandemic and social distancing, New Yorkers need to be able to count on the fact that if they get sick or quarantined, they will have a job to come back to. This bill will give them that peace of mind. We will continue fighting for workers across the state and ensure that they have the resources to come through this crisis.”

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan said. “This bill is critical to the lives and livelihoods of New Yorkers as we navigate our way through the coronavirus health emergency. In these uncertain times, we are giving families the assurance that quarantine or illness will not mean the loss of their job or their paycheck.”

Heastie’s press release explained, “In order to help protect New York’s workers and to curb the spread of COVID-19, this legislation will make all private and public sector employees eligible for sick leave and wage replacement during a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

“Employees that work for small sized employers, which includes employers with 10 or fewer employees and that have a net income of less than $1 million, would receive unpaid sick leave and immediately become eligible for Paid Family Leave and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) benefits. Those working for medium-sized employers, which includes employers with 10 or fewer employees that have a net income of greater than $1 million and employers with between 11 and 99 employees, would receive at least five days of paid sick leave, followed by eligibility for Paid Family Leave and TDI benefits.

“Those working for employers with 100 or more employees, as well as all public employees, would receive a minimum of 14 days of paid sick leave.”

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