Democrats and labor unions in New York are pushing a bill that would require businesses to implement specific public health standards intended to protect their employees from contracting infections, airborne diseases, like COVID-19, and penalize companies if they don’t.
Businesses would face fines ranging from $50 to $20,000 for failing to adopt or abide by a plan that would protect workers from airborne, infectious diseases under the proposal.
The legislation, called the NY HERO Act, is sponsored by Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, D-Queens and Assemblymember Karines Reyes, D-Bronx. It was first introduced last August, when lawmakers were away from Albany.
Gianaris said the legislation was inspired by stories from frontline, essential workers, who’ve worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic without uniform workplace protections.
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