New York officials used Labor Day to outline a wide-ranging set of worker policies, including stronger wage-theft enforcement, new workplace safety requirements, pension changes and expanded tuition assistance for adults pursuing high-demand careers.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state has combined enforcement with training and benefit programs intended to improve pay, workplace safety and access to jobs. The initiatives include measures already in effect and others scheduled to begin between 2027 and 2028.
Wage enforcement and workplace protections
The state Department of Labor can issue warrants and seize financial assets to enforce unpaid wage-theft orders after a judgment. The department recovered more than $35 million in lost wages and collected $2.2 million in related penalties in 2025, the highest annual recovery since 2015, according to the governor's office.
Since Hochul took office in 2021, the department has recovered more than $145 million for more than 130,000 workers, the administration said.
New York also established a Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry in 2024. The state has issued 14,579 registration certificates, and contractors and subcontractors on prevailing-wage projects are now required to submit certified payroll records electronically.
Three worker-safety laws that took effect in 2025 have now been in place for a year. The Retail Worker Safety Act requires employers with at least 10 retail workers statewide to provide interactive training on workplace violence, including threats, abuse, harassment and intimidation.
Retail businesses with at least 500 employees statewide must give workers access to a silent response button by Jan. 1, 2027. The state said Labor Department staff have visited hundreds of retail locations while working with employers and employees on compliance.
The Fashion Workers Act requires model management companies and groups to register with the Labor Department and follow added duties intended to increase transparency and fair treatment. The state said 79 companies have registered since the law was enacted.
The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program requires employers already covered by the Warehouse Worker Protection Act to create and carry out programs aimed at identifying and reducing job-related injury risks.
Pay, leave and workers' compensation
The administration said New York's gender wage gap narrowed to 91.4 cents earned by women for every dollar earned by men in 2024, up from 87.3 cents in 2023. Officials tied the change to a broader policy agenda that includes a higher minimum wage, paid prenatal leave and an effort to expand child care for children younger than 5.
An expansion of the Healthy Terminals Act took effect in January, extending the law's wage, health and leave benefits to part-time workers at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports. Employers with 10 or fewer workers are exempt.
The fiscal 2027 state budget also changed the workers' compensation system. Beginning in 2027, a grant-funded program administered by the Workers' Compensation Board will allow district attorneys' offices to devote additional resources to workers' compensation fraud cases.
Starting in January 2028, all eligible licensed medical providers in good standing will be allowed to treat injured workers covered by the system. State officials said the change is intended to increase access to care.
Tier 6 retirement changes in the budget lowered retirement ages for educators, reduced contribution rates and increased overtime caps for state and local workers, including police and fire employees outside New York City. Contribution rates were also reduced for United University Professions and Professional Staff Congress-CUNY members enrolled in the Optional Retirement Program.
The Labor Department also launched a Services for Working Families online hub that brings together state information on paid leave and benefits, child care and resources for young people entering the workforce.
Training and government hiring expand
Registered apprenticeships have expanded into health care, information technology, finance, child care, education, transportation and advanced manufacturing. As of June 30, the Labor Department supported nearly 18,000 apprentices, more than 600 sponsors and more than 900 programs, and had issued more than 1,300 completion certificates this year.
The New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide program, known as NY HELPS, temporarily waives civil service exams for many state and local government vacancies. More than 64,000 appointments have been made through the program, according to the administration.
The Department of Civil Service is opening computer-based testing centers around the state and has created 10 Centers for Careers in Government to help job seekers understand civil service hiring and career options. It is also developing a new applicant-management system for public job openings.
The state said it revised qualifications for about 800 entry-level and promotional civil service titles so equivalent experience can be considered instead of a college degree. Officials have also promoted public-service openings through recruitment campaigns, including outreach focused on New Yorkers with disabilities.
Free college and youth working papers
SUNY and CUNY Reconnect covers tuition, fees, books and supplies for adults ages 25 to 55 who do not have a degree and are pursuing an associate degree in a high-demand field. Covered fields include advanced manufacturing, technology, nursing and education.
The state has added logistics and air traffic control to the eligible fields and expanded nursing eligibility to some students who already hold a degree. The program is also being extended beyond community colleges to associate-degree programs at eight SUNY colleges and three CUNY colleges.
More than 12,000 New Yorkers have enrolled, according to the governor's office.
The Labor Department is separately developing an online portal to modernize working papers for young employees, parents and guardians, school districts and businesses that hire minors. The system is expected to launch next year.
Hochul also announced that 17 state landmarks would be illuminated in red, white and blue for Labor Day. The locations listed by the administration included the Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal, the State Fairgrounds' Main Gate and Expo Center, the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and the Mid-Hudson Bridge.
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