New York Assembly Bill A04727

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/5/25
• Report Pass: 2/24/25
• Engrossed: 4/2/25
• Refer: 4/2/25
• Engrossed: 6/11/25
• Enrolled: 12/8/25
• Chaptered: 12/19/25
• Passed: 12/19/25

Caption

Extends paid family leave benefits to employees who perform construction, demolition, reconstruction, excavation, rehabilitation, repairs, renovations, alterations, or improvements for multiple employers pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement who shall be eligible for family leave benefits if they were employed for at least twenty-six of the last thirty-nine weeks by any covered employer which is signatory to a collective bargaining agreement.

Summary

A04727 amends New York’s workers’ compensation law to expand and clarify eligibility for paid family leave benefits, with a particular focus on workers in construction-related trades who move among multiple employers under a collective bargaining agreement. The bill provides that these employees can qualify for family leave benefits if they have worked at least 26 of the last 39 weeks for any covered employer that is party to a collective bargaining agreement. It also adds rules for when such workers regain eligibility after an unpaid leave of absence, vacation without pay, or a layoff followed by unemployment benefits and then a return to work. The bill also makes conforming changes for disability benefits eligibility and for employees who work less than a normal work week, including specifying when eligibility begins for disability leave and paid family leave. It states that employees who are already eligible for disability or family leave benefits are not considered to have terminated employment during periods when they are receiving those benefits. The act takes effect immediately.

Impact

This bill would amend section 203 of the workers’ compensation law and related eligibility provisions governing disability benefits and paid family leave. Its main legal effect is to broaden and clarify access to paid family leave for certain unionized, multi-employer construction workers, while also adjusting how eligibility is calculated after breaks in service, layoffs, and returns from unpaid leave. Employers covered by the workers’ compensation system, especially those in construction and related trades with collective bargaining agreements, would need to apply the new eligibility rules.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests generally strong support for the bill. It passed the Assembly Labor Committee with a wide margin, then cleared the Assembly floor and the Senate floor by substantial majorities. That pattern indicates broad legislative approval for expanding paid family leave protections, particularly for workers in industries with irregular, multi-employer employment arrangements.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to be the scope of the expansion and its administrative and cost implications for covered employers. The bill is narrowly tailored to construction, demolition, excavation, renovation, and similar workers employed through collective bargaining agreements, which may have raised questions about whether the special eligibility rules should apply more broadly or whether they create a distinct carveout for unionized trades. The small number of negative votes at each stage suggests limited but present concern, likely centered on employer burden, eligibility complexity, or the preferential treatment of a specific workforce segment.