We seek to meaningfully enforce provisions of the FMLA and NYPFL. Our focus is on enforcing job protection under these laws, because in our experience women and men who take family leave often encounter gender-based stereotyping related to integrating their roles as mothers and fathers with social expectations of remaining employed.  In addition, although some corporations offer generous paid family leave policies they often fail to create a culture that allows employees to feel supported in taking family leave for fear of short and long-term reprisals.

 

To that end:

• We litigate cases in both federal and state court and file complaints before various administrative agencies. On the federal, state and local level we seek to enforce provisions of the law that will protect an employee's ability to take family leave without putting their employment in jeopardy.  

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• We worked as part of the New York Paid Family Leave Coalition to help pass the New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Act that was signed into law in 2016.

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• Our efforts supported the passage of the anti-caregiver discrimination amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law that prevents employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their caregiving status.

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• We have worked to enforce the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), a 2014 amendment to the NYCHRL that provides for pregnant workers to be reasonably accommodated based on the condition of being pregnant. This work includes litigating cases before the NYC Commission on Human Rights and providing input to the Commission on its upcoming promulgation of regulations under this Act.

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• We are launching an initiative called the Corporate Culture and Compliance Project that will evaluate and benchmark what specific steps corporations and businesses need to take to create a truly meaningful, family-friendly culture and to ensure the protections of family leave are rigorously enforced. We believe that prospective employees have the right to know, and consumers want to know, about internal policies that corporate America uses to ensure work-life balance for its employees. 

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• We regularly counsel employees about their rights and responsibilities under federal, state and local laws when taking time off from work to take care of themselves or others, or bond with a new child.

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If you need advice on how to navigate your need for time off from work as relates to pregnancy, childbirth or care for a new child, call our hotline to speak with someone from our legal team at 888-933-4363. You can also find more information here.