On September 25, 2025, the New York City Council passed legislation that expands the scope of the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”). The bill was officially enacted on October 25, 2025, and will take effect on February 22, 2026. These amendments expand employee leave rights by introducing new unpaid leave entitlements and broadening acceptable uses of sick leave.
New Unpaid Leave Entitlements: 32 Hours of Frontloaded Time
The amended ESSTA mandates employers to provide employees with 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick leave time immediately upon hire. The 32 hours refresh on the first day of each calendar year and will not carry over into the following year. Importantly, this unpaid leave allotment is in addition to the 40 or 56 hours of paid sick leave an employer must already provide, depending on its size…