On October 2, 2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law a measure that will require New York City employers to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.
Employers with at least four employees are subject to the New York City law. Examples of reasonable accommodations include, among other things:
Bathroom breaks
Leave for a period of disability arising from childbirth
Breaks to facilitate water intake
Periodic rest for those who stand for long periods of time
Assistance with manual labor
Employers are not required to provide accommodations that cause them undue hardship (i.e. significant operational difficulty and/or expense), but employers have the burden of proving the undue hardship.
The new legislation will take effect on January 30, 2014.