In the News

A new state law aims to improve safety for warehouse workers by pressing employers like Amazon to take proactive steps that reduce the risk of injuries.

The law increasing the state's minimum wage on Wednesday will add 50 cents an hour to the basic minimum wage of $16 for Long Island, New York City and Westchester; and will be added to the minimum wage for the rest of the state, which was $15.

As recent studies have cited saltwater intrusion in local aquifers, Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine is stressing that all new sewer projects would include mechanisms to reuse treated water to help restore the aquifers.

Long Island municipalities have reaped nearly $3.5 million in 2024 from the sale of recreational cannabis, with Babylon Town collecting $2.6 million and $871,000 going to Suffolk County, data from the Suffolk Comptroller's Office shows.

Wage theft is pervasive across all industries and income levels in the country, but workers who can least afford to bear the cost of lost earnings—particularly low-wage workers—are disproportionately vulnerable to wage violations.

The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, would set a maximum temperature, requiring public schools to take action, such as turning on fans and pulling down blinds if room temperatures reach 82 degrees.