Paid Time Off for Covid Vaccinations

New York State Employees Entitled to Paid Time Off to receive COVID-19 Vaccinations

Monday, March 15, 2021

Effective  immediately, New York State employers must provide employees with up to four hours of paid time off per COVID-19 vaccination. The new law sunsets on December 31, 2022.

The new law provides that:

1. All New York employees must receive a paid leave of absence for “a sufficient period of time” not to exceed four hours per vaccine injection. In other words, employees may be entitled to up to eight hours of paid time off if receiving a two-injection COVID-19 vaccine;
2. This leave must be paid at the employee’s regular rate of pay; and
3. Employers cannot require employees to use other available leave (such as sick leave or vacation time) before providing this leave.

The new law applies to both public and private employers, with potential carveouts for employees subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

Read the full article here: Paid Time off for Covid Vaccinations