On May 5, after more than a year of organizing and advocacy, the NY HERO Act was signed into law! We continue organizing to ensure quick and effective implementation. Learn more at the coalition website.
WHAT DID WE WIN?
NY HERO is a worker-led vision of health and safety for our communities. Bloomberg News quoted ALIGN Executive Director Maritza Silva-Farrell, “This law is a major new national precedent for how to create enforceable health and safety protections for workers on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic and give workers a voice on the job through health and safety committee.”
Key points include:
-Permanent, enforceable health and safety standards to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne infectious diseases in the workplace
– Groundbreaking Health and Safety committees in order to monitor, review and collaborate with employers on all workplace health and safety policies
– Strong standards that cover all private sector workers, including sectors often excluded in protections such as farmworkers, gig workers, day laborers, and independent contractors
– Private right of action both when their employer violates the standard and puts them at substantial risk of serious harm and if they are retaliated against
– The right to refuse to work if they feel they are unsafe and protections from retaliation when raising concerns
NY HERO Is a victory for all workers across the country, not just New Yorkers. The NY HERO Act is a first-in-the-nation legislation that will provide a model for a country that continues to be devastated by this virus.