In January, I wrote about the notice requirements of the Wage Theft Prevention Act that apply to both new employees and existing employees.  [See Employers: Do Not Forget Your Annual Employee Wage Theft Prevention Act Notice].  The Act required employers in New York to provide all new employees with a written notice setting forth the employee’s rate of pay and other pay-related information.  The Act also required employers in New York to provide another written notice containing the same information to all other employees annually, before February 1 of each year.

Not surprisingly, the annual notice provision was roundly criticized by employers and business groups across the state because of the administrative burden and expense imposed on employers.  The Rochester Business Alliance noted that the required written notice contained the same information that employees already receive on their paystubs.

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed an amendment to the Wage Theft Prevention Act, eliminating the annual notice requirement, and yesterday, Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law (L.2014, ch.537).  The amendments also increase certain penalties for non-compliance and include provisions making it easier to establish successor liability against employers who attempt to evade the provisions of the law by purporting to set up new companies.

In his approval memorandum, the Governor noted that he was signing the bill into law, even though there were some technical and substantive problems that will need to be addressed.  I would expect the Legislature to act on these issues early in the new year.