New York stores must train workers to prevent violence on the job

If you work at a retail store in New York and your employer has at least 10 retail employees statewide, your employer must have a written plan to prevent workplace violence. You get a copy when you’re hired and every year after that, in English and in your primary language if the state Labor Department provides a translation in that language. You also get training on how to calm down a tense situation, what to do during an active-shooter emergency, and where the exits and meeting spots are. Training happens when you’re hired and every year after that. At employers with fewer than 50 retail workers, it’s every two years. The state Labor Department offers a free model plan and training that employers can use.

Starting Jan. 1, 2027, employers with 500 or more retail workers in New York must give every retail worker access to a silent response button. It can be a fixed button in an accessible location, a wearable device, or an app on an employer-provided phone. Pressing it requests immediate help from a security officer, manager, or supervisor. Wearable and phone-based buttons cannot be used to track you unless you press one. You don’t need to sign up for anything. If your employer isn’t following the law, you can file a complaint with the state Labor Department.

Assemblymember Karines Reyes and Sen. Jessica Ramos sponsored the law, and the retail workers’ union RWDSU campaigned for it. It passed the Assembly 102–43 and the Senate 41–19, and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it in September 2024. Under a February 2025 amendment, the training rules started on June 2, 2025.