NYS Minimum Wage & Overtime-Exempt Salary Levels Will Increase for Employees Working Outside of NYCity on Dec 31, 2020

The New York State minimum wage rates and minimum overtime-exempt salary levels for employees working outside of New York City will increase on December 31, 2020. New York State employers with employees working in the State and outside of New York City should review the changes and make the necessary adjustments to ensure they are in compliance with the new requirements when they become effective.

Minimum Wage Increases

New York State’s minimum hourly wage rates for non-fast-food workers outside of New York City will increase on December 31, 2020, as follows:

• Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties: $13.00 to $14.00 per hour
• Remainder of the State outside of New York City: $11.80 to $12.50 per hour

The minimum hourly wage rate for fast-food workers outside of New York City will increase from $13.75 to $14.50 per hour on December 31, 2020.

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NYS COVID-19 Travel Advisory Update for Essential Workers

We previously reported that New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on October 31, 2020, that as of November 4, 2020, New York State would modify its COVID-19 travel advisory guidelines to allow persons traveling to New York State to “test out” of the State’s mandatory 14-day quarantine period. Under the modified travel guidelines, persons traveling to New York State from non-contiguous states who are non-essential workers, including New York State residents, must quarantine for 14 days, unless they “test out” of having to quarantine as follows:

Travelers who were in another state for more than 24 hours: 

• The traveler must obtain a COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to arrival in New York State, which must be negative.
• The traveler must quarantine for a minimum of three days, measured from the time of arrival.
• On day four, the traveler must obtain a second COVID-19 test.

If the second COVID-19 test is negative, the traveler may exit quarantine.

Travelers who were in another state for less than 24 hours:

• The traveler does not need a test prior to departure from the other state and does not need to quarantine upon arrival in New York State.
• The traveler must take a COVID-19 diagnostic test four days after his or her arrival in New York State.
  
  

Travelers coming into New York State from travel to a contiguous state (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont) are exempt from the travel guidelines’ quarantine and test requirements, regardless of their length of stay in the contiguous state.

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