The Legal Aid Society and public advocates across the state are demanding a more vigorous enforcement of the COVID-19 labor regulations that are meant to protect vulnerable New Yorkers as they return to the workplace. As the city continues to reopen after the months-long shutdown, legal advocates are reporting that many employers are ignoring crucial safety regulations, including requirements to provide employees with adequate personal protective equipment. Experts warn the flaunting of these rules put many New Yorkers – especially black and Latino workers – in danger, reports City Limits.

“New York needs to step up and step in where the federal government has refused to do so,” said Richard Blum, an attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Employment Law Unit. “The State must mandate clear rules for employers and create meaningful enforcement of those rules in order to protect all of New York’s workers, and most especially those from the Black and brown communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”