The New York Wage Theft Prevention Act, which was passed last December, has recently gone into effect in the state, according to the Business Review. The act requires employers to comply with a set of new rules designed to prevent them from stealing from workers by paying less than the minimum wage, not paying overtime and forcing employees to work off the clock.

Incorrectly classifying employees as independent contractors – thus enabling employers to avoid compensation costs and certain taxes – also became illegal under the new law, which applies to all companies. Any employees hired after April 9 will be covered by the law, as will any worker whose terms and conditions of employment are altered after that date.

Additionally, employers must issue annual notices to their workers that detail pay structure, overtime rates and other information. This must be written in the employee’s native language if that is Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Creole, Polish or Russian.

"Too often, workers are afraid to demand the wages that they’re owed because they fear they will be fired," Ady Barkan of nonprofit organization Make the Road New York told the New York Daily News. "This will make it easier for them to get the justice that they deserve."

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