Who We Are

The Sexual Harassment Working Group is a worker collective, launched by seven former New York State legislative employees who experienced, witnessed, or reported sexual harassment by former New York legislators and their staff.

We advocate for a #HarassmentFreeAlbany and a #HarassmentFreeNY

Listen and Watch

Hearings

Watch the testimonies from the Feb. 13, 2019 hearing, the first NYS joint legislative public hearing on sexual harassment in over 27 years.

Tune in to 4:16 to hear from former legislative workers, including the Sexual Harassment Working Group.

You can also view the testimonies from the May 24th, 2019 hearing.

Bill Passage

See the NYS Assembly (7:00:25) and the NYS Senate (4:13:50) vote to pass S6577 (Biaggi)/ A8421 (Simotas), which overhauls workers’ rights by adding many new protections, including the ending of the “severe or pervasive” standard. That standard is what’s been in place under New York State law as the threshold level of abuse a worker must show to prove they have been sexually harassed. It’s an extremely high, anti-worker burden.

The bill was passed by both houses on June 19, 2019, and we were honored to be recognized by so many legislators in their “aye” votes!

For the new protections added by this bill, read our press release here, or view the full bill text here.

Next Steps

The first two #HarassmentHearingNY have passed, but you can advocate to your electeds for additional hearings and improved worker protections.

You deserve to be heard.

We are advocating for changes to New York State law to improve worker protections.