New York repeals universal wage notification

New York State no longer requires employers to issue annual wage statements to all their employees.

A new law discards the notification requirement that took effect in April 2011 as part of the state Wage Theft Prevention Act. Businesses had decried the notification law as an unnecessary burden.

Last summer, the legislature voted to repeal it. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made the change official when he signed the repeal legislation on Dec. 29.

Employers still must provide initial wage notifications to new hires. And they must provide all employees with accurate pay stubs.

Violators would face penalties that double to a maximum of $5,000 as part of the revised wage-theft law.