The Assembly and Senate have each adopted their one house budget resolutions signaling the start of the budget conference committee process. Over the next few weeks negotiations will go on behind closed doors between the Assembly, the Senate and the Governor. The expansion of the Bottle Bill and a ban on single use plastic bags…

Happy Spring! What better way to celebrate the arrival of Spring (even if the weather hasn’t gotten the message) than to start planning for the Association’s Annual Golf Outing. As the enclosed flier details, we’re once again  hosting the outing at Cronin’s Golf Resort in Warrensburg. This year’s outing will be held on June 3rd.…

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of the Association’s longest serving and hardest working member, Cleo Emmer. Cleo will be remembered as a lady who loved life and was loved by all. No one worked harder for or cared more about the members of the Association than Cleo did. Our monthly…

Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal includes an expansion of the Bottle Bill to add sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit & vegetable drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas. Wine and liquor bottles are not immediately included in the new, broader mandate, but a task force is created by the proposal to study how to expand the…

The Governor also proposed banning single-use plastic bags, although the proposed ban would not apply to restaurants. There are quite a few proposed exemptions to the ban which could become controversial and subject to legislative action. There’s also a proposal to allow for adult use of cannabis (marijuana). One element of that proposal of note,…

While we’re waiting for the Department of Labor to complete their review of the tip credit hearings and for the Governor to decide how he wants to respond, a new legislative proposal to eliminate the tip credit has emerged as a threat. State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee last month introduced S1760-A1240 which…

As I’m sure you know the next phase of the state’s multi-year march to a $15 minimum wage takes effect on December 31st. The annual increase in the minimum wage also triggers a review of the cash wage for tipped food service workers to determine if it increases (varies across New York State). It also…

As we go to press there is still no word on the outcome of the tip credit hearings. The Governor gave a speech outlining his top legislative priorities last week and this topic did not come up, which is good news, but it will need to be addressed before long. And even if the Governor…

The Association’s Safety Group 554 and the Risk Management Planning Group, a York Risk Services Group Company (RMPG/York) recently celebrated its 24th consecutive year of declaring discounts and dividends to participating members of Safety Group 554. The group’s 25 percent upfront discount, average dividend of 36 percent, and proven track record and security of a…

The New York State Department of Labor has released finalized materials and guidance on New York State’s new sexual harassment prevention law. The law establishes protections from sexual harassment for employees, individuals working as contractors and others, such as visitors to your business – including your patrons. It imposes obligations on state officials, employers and…

We’ve changed the location of the Buffalo and Melville training sessions and added a training session at Tompkins Cortland Community College since last month’s report. Our ABCs of the ABC Law seminar for owners & managers and our ATAP seminar for servers are now scheduled for: October 29                  Buffalo                        Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel October 30                 …

The Westchester County Legislature approved, and the County Executive plans to sign a local law providing 40 hours of paid sick leave for most workers. The new law will require employers with five or more employees to provide at least an hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. This “earned sick leave…