06/20/2019
For those of you who follow new ideas and laws in New York, I am writing to advise you of a proposed new law which may be one of the worst ideas made into law in many years. I am referring to Senate Bill 2844B (the same bill has passed the Assembly (A486)) which purportedly "increases the likelihood that victims of 'wage theft' will be able to secure payment of unpaid wages for work already performed" but more likely allows disgruntled employees and even former employees the ability to coerce payment of monies already paid on account of the employer's fear of having a business lose its lines of credit, have money withheld by banks in a restraining action and generally promote vindictiveness by former employees. Existing Federal and New York laws already allow employees and former employees to bring actions for unpaid wages as victims of wage theft. If such claimants are successful in any way, the employer must also pay the claimant's legal fees. This proposed law allows employees and former employees to claim without substantiation and without the right of an employer to proceed against any wrongful filer.
