NY Bill Allowing Employees to File Liens on Employers Must be Stopped.

May 30, 2023

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NY Bill Allowing Employees to File Liens on Employers Must be Stopped.

Lawmakers are once again trying to pass a bill that would allow an employee to file a lien against an employer’s personal or business property on a claim of unpaid wages. This legislation puts in place a presumption of guilt on employers, including small businesses, as employees would be allowed to put liens on personal or company property on a mere claim of wage and hour violations. The bill also expands the definition of employer to include many parties who have no control overpay practices. The bill also ignores the fact that there are state and federal laws to address wage and hour violations. The legislation, called the SWEAT Act, is unnecessarily onerous and will undoubtedly hurt small businesses in New York. A nearly identical bill passed in 2019, but NFIB fought hard and successfully secured a veto by the Governor. With your help, we can prevent this new legislation from ever reaching her desk.