Effective Date of Wage Theft Prevention Act is April 9
On December 15, 2010, we reported that former New York Governor David Patterson signed the Wage Theft Prevention Act (the “Act”) into law on December 13, 2010. Because the Act states that it shall take effect 120 days after it is signed into law, we reported the effective date as Tuesday, April 12, 2011. However, it appears that Governor Patterson signed the Act twice – first on December 10, 2010 and then again during a public ceremony on December 13. Because the Act was first signed into law on December 10, 2010, the effective date is actually Saturday, April 9, 2011. As a result, employers must implement the Act’s new notice, employee acknowledgment and record retention requirements by April 9, 2011. Because implementation may require significant changes in current policies and procedures, employers should begin a review of payroll and wage notification practices now.
