The New York State Department of Labor reports Chautauqua’s rate for March was 4.2% compared with 4.7% in February and 4.3% in March 2022.

Cattaraugus County’s rate was 4.3% for March 2023, compared with 4.8% in February and 4.4% in March 2022.

Unemployment rates

The New York State Department of Labor reports Chautauqua’s rate for January was 5.1% compared with 3.8% in December and 4.8% in January 2022.

Cattaraugus County’s rate was 5.2% for January 2023, compared with 3.8% in December and 4.8% in January 2022.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will present an online Tuesday Talks panel discussion at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 21.

Guest panelists are County Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua Works’ Katie Geise, Jamestown Community College Workforce Development’s Brian Lebarron, and JCC’s Career Services’ Julie Page. Panelists will touch on the overall job market and workforce status including broad efforts to recruit and retain employees across Chautauqua County.

Tuesday Talks is a one-hour, online-only forum to provide tips and guidance for local business people. All attendees must register through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org/events to get the Zoom link. Tuesday Talks is free and open to all local businesses, whether they are Chamber members or not.

The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau will hold a free Spring Tourism Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 23 in the Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College. The topic will be “Ramping Up for Seasonal Hiring.”

Speakers for this morning-long in person event will be Cabana Sam’s/Sunset Bay Beach Club owner Kelly Borrello, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Sales Manager William Hart Frantz, and a panel from Chautauqua Works led by Executive Director Katie Geise and including representatives from the New York State Department of Labor.

To register for the CCVB workshop visit them online at www.tourchautauqua.com/spring-2023-tourism-workshop.

Both the Chamber and CCVB events are being held in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at JCC.

The phased-in, gradual reduction in the overtime pay threshold will begin on January 1, 2024, with the threshold set at 56 hours. The process will continue with the overtime threshold limit reducing by 4 hours every other year until reaching 40 hours in 2032.

Beginning in 2020, the Farm Laborers Wage Board held public hearings to gather testimony from farm owners, workers, advocacy groups, and academic researchers. A majority of the comments were in favor of not lowering the threshold and came primarily from farm owners, who said that the change could cause the collapse of not only their family-run business but the industry at large.

Civil and labor rights experts and advocates argued that farm workers should be entitled to a 40-hour work week like the rest of the workforce.

Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature enacted new tax credits to assist farm employers to ease the implementation of the lower overtime standard.

These include increasing the Investment Tax Credit from 4 percent to 20 percent for farm businesses, providing an encouragement for potential automation of farm production.

The Farm Workforce Retention Tax Credit was increased to $1,200 per employee to provide near-term relief to farmers.

A refundable tax credit was established for overtime hours paid by farm employers at the level established by the new regulation up to 60 hours.

State Senator George Borrello issued a statement saying, “While not a surprise, the Commissioner of Labor’s final approval of the recommendation to lower the farm worker overtime threshold to 40 hours per week ends any hope that facts and common sense might somehow prevail on this issue.

We fought long and hard against this decision for more than two years. However, it became apparent during the process that the ‘decision’ had been made before a single hearing was held.

Our farmers are among the growing list of casualties of the politically driven agenda that governs every consequential action here in New York State. The costs of this decision will go beyond the balance sheet. Family legacies, rural economies and the strength of our food supply chain will be impacted by this historically bad decision in the years ahead.”

For more information about the new regulations, visit the Farm Laborers Wage Board website at https://dol.ny.gov/farm-laborers-wage-board

Unemployment

The New York State Department of Labor reports Chautauqua’s rate for last month was 3.8% compared with 3.5% in November and 3.7% in December 2021.

Cattaraugus County’s rate also was 3.8% for December 2022, compared with 3.5% in November and 3.6% in December 2021.

Workers outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County will see an increase by $1.00 per hour, from $13.20 to $14.20. Additionally, the minimum wage for home care aides, which took effect on October 1, 2022, will also increase by $1.00 to $16.20 per hour in counties in upstate New York.

Governor Kathy Hochul said, “With inflation and a national labor shortage impacting our state’s economy, my team is doing everything possible to put money in New Yorkers’ pockets and address the rising cost of living.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “By raising the minimum wage, we are helping to lift up our neighbors across New York State. Advancing the multi-year increases has helped businesses adjust to the steady changes while providing low-wage workers the ability to better support themselves and their families.”

Reardon issued an Order calling for the minimum wage rate increase in counties outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester following a statutorily required economic analysis conducted by the New York State Division of the Budget.

An estimated 200,000 New Yorkers in these upstate counties will benefit from this wage increase, 44% of which are full time workers and of those, nearly 25% are supporting children below age 18. In addition, this increase will help to close the gender pay gap, providing an estimated 110,000 women with greater financial stability.

To learn more about the minimum wage for home care aides, read the Home Care Aides Fact Sheet at https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/10/p105-home-health-aide-10-5-22.pdf

Workers who are not getting paid what they are entitled to under New York State’s new minimum wage laws, should report it to the State Department of Labor’s Division of Labor Standards by calling 1-888-469-7365.

The State Department of Labor said November’s rate is still lower than November 2021 when it was 3.9%. The state’s unemployment rate has stayed steady at 4.3% for the month.

The DOL also has reported that Chautauqua County added 200 private sector jobs between November 2021 and November 2022.

Cattaraugus County’s unemployment rate also rose to 3.5% for November from October’s rate of 2.9%.

Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation expanding accommodations for breastfeeding in the workplace.

Hochul said that currently, employers must give reasonable break times and make reasonable efforts to provide a space for employees to pump breast milk, but this standard falls below the requirements in place for government employees. This legislation will ensure that all workplaces across the state have safe, clean pumping spaces by requiring employers to expand accommodations for breastfeeding.

The new law will also require employers to adopt a policy developed by the New York State Department of Labor regarding employee rights when breastfeeding in the workplace. Employers must provide the written policy to each employee upon hire and annually thereafter, as well as to employees returning to work after the birth of a child.

Chautauqua County

The New York State Department of Labor reported that Chautauqua’s rate for last month was 2.9%, which is down 1.3% from 2021 when it was 4.2%.

Cattaraugus County‘s unemployment rate for October also was 2.9%, which is down 1% from 2021.

Home care aides

The State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) announced that effective October 1, 2022, the minimum wage for home care aides has been increased to $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $15.20 per hour for the remainder of New York State.

This follows an order by the Commissioner and State Budget Director raising the general minimum wage to $14.20 for counties outside of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, beginning on December 31, 2022, leading to an additional $1.00 increase an hour for Home Care Aides in those locations.

Home care aides may be owed extra pay in addition to minimum wage rates for overtime, call-in pay, spread of hours, and uniform maintenance. The only time an employer may reduce wages below minimum wage is to claim a limited allowance for meals and lodging, provided they do not charge for those services.