Updated: January 26, 2016
This collection of PowHer Plays focuses on the series of women’s equality laws that were passed this past legislative season. To realize the true impact of what these laws mean for the women of New York State, we sit down with politicians, experts and advocates and ask them to inform our audience. Scroll below for videos on laws including: Sexual Harassment, Attorney’s Fees, Nail Salon Safety, Equal Pay, Sexual Assault on Campus and the Trafficking Victims and Protections Act.
For a comprehensive review on each of the laws, visit our network partner, A Better Balance’s publication, New Legal Protections for Working Women in New York: Know Your Rights.
Sexual Harassment
S.2 (Valesky)/A.5360(Galef)
Video Features: Penny Venetis from Legal Momentum and Katharine Bodde, Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
The law extends sexual harassment protections to employees of all private businesses, no matter how large or small.
Attorney’s Fees
S.3 (Little)/A.7189 (Dinowitz)
Video Features: Lisa Lipman and Katharine Bodde, Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
The law allows litigants who win a sex discrimination suit to collect attorney’s fees.
Nail Salon Safety
S.5966 (Venditto)/A.7630A (Kim)
Video Features: Hon. Ron Kim, NYS Assembly Member and Nadia Marin-Molina from New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH).
The law improves working conditions for nail salon workers by requiring employers to provide safety equipment, to post a Bill of Rights, and to secure accident, liability, and wage coverage insurance.
Resources: NYCOSH
Equal Pay Law
S.1 (Savino)/ A.6075 (Titus)
Video Features: Dina Bakst, Co-Founder of A Better Balance and Beverly Neufeld, President of PowHer New York
The Equal Pay Law will (1) Outlaw wage secrecy policies and prevent employer retaliation, (2) Strengthen our equal pay laws to make it tougher for employers to get away with paying women less; and (3) Increase damages available to a prevailing litigant to 300% of unpaid wages.
Resources: A Better Balance
Sexual Assault on Campus
S.5965 (LaValle)/ A.8244 (Glick)
Video Features: Lauren Hersh, Sanctuary for Families and Monica Sobrin, Students United for Safer Schools New York.
The Sexual Assault on Campus Law, commonly known as the “Enough is Enough” Legislation, will implement prevention and response policies and procedures for colleges and universities on sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.
Resources: NY.gov, Sanctuary for Families
Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act
S.7 (Lanza)/ A.506 (Paulin)
Video Features: Hon. Amy Paulin, NYS Assembly Member and Sonia Ossorio, NOW-New York.
The Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act offers better protection to survivors of human trafficking by treating survivors as victims and holding perpetrators accountable. This will include establishing an affirmative defense for trafficking victims, creating the crime of aggravated patronizing of a minor, and allowing victims to take civil action against their traffickers.
Resources: NOW-NYC, www.tvpja.com, www.newyorksnewabolitionists.com