NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5025
SPONSOR: Jacobson TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to including Stewart Interna-
tional Airport in the definition of covered airport location for the
purposes of minimum wage rates
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To include the Stewart International Airport in the definition of
covered airport location for the purposes of minimum wage and supple-
mental benefit rates as outlined in the Healthy Terminals Act
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends subdivision 1 of section 696-a of the Labor Law to
include Stewart International Airport in the definition of "covered
airport location" for the purposes of minimum wage and supplemental
benefits rates under the existing Health Terminals Act.
Section 2: Sets forth the effective date which is immediately.
JUSTIFICATION:
When the Healthy Terminals Act was signed at the end of December 2020,
Stewart International Airport was not included in the bill's provisions.
As a result, many of Stewart International Airport's workers have been
unable to access to health insurance coverage through their job and are
left with no coverage at all.
New York's Healthy Terminals Act (the "Act") established specific stand-
ards for wage rates for covered airport workers at covered airport
locations. The Act requires that employers of covered airport workers
provide an hourly standard benefits supplemental rate in addition to the
applicable hourly minimum wage.
Without health insurance, public-facing workers on the front line of the
pandemic, such as airports like Stewart, left to seek jobs that can
provide better wages and benefits.
This left Stewart without a professionally trained workforce who can
ensure the safety and cleanliness of an important, local transportation
hub. The cost of providing better wages and health care benefits is
minimal compared to the costs of hiring and training new employees every
few months.
This legislation would include Stewart International Airport in the
Healthy Terminals Act, enabling its workers to receive both local
prevailing wages and health insurance coverage.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A6528 - Referred to Assembly Labor Committee S3571 Passed
Senate
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5025
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 11, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JACOBSON, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to including Stewart Interna-
tional Airport in the definition of covered airport location for the
purposes of minimum wage rates
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 696-a of the labor law, as added
2 by chapter 88 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
3 1. "Covered airport location" means John F. Kennedy International
4 Airport [and], LaGuardia Airport, Stewart International Airport, or any
5 location used to perform airline catering work as such work is described
6 in subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (a) of subdivision two of this
7 section.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03359-01-5
