If you live in New York City, you earn a little bit of sick leave every day you work. It’s part of the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA), a law that protects all of us. Those protections are being attacked by the top anti-worker law firm in the world, JacksonLewis, the guys who hold the secret meetings and wrote the book on union busting

Under the previous system corporations had a pretty easy time avoiding accountability. Starbucks workers waited 3 years for their rights to be enforced, Amazon workers 4, and a JetBlue employee waited 8 years to be reinstated. Our rights disappeared the moment employers chose to violate them.

That’s why, last year, the City Council passed Local Law 22, giving us a faster enforcement option: the private right of action. This means that when an employer breaks the law workers can go to court themselves and ask a judge to enforce their rights. It’s not about big payouts. It’s about getting your job back quickly, stopping retaliation, and showing other workers it’s safe to stand up.

But here’s the problem: a judge recently said that even though a worker had a “very strong case,” they couldn’t order her reinstatement. If court’s don’t have the ability to enforce ESSTA, to stop current violations and prevent future ones, we could be right back to waiting months or years for justice. And companies will know they can go back to violating ESSTA.

Hannah Lopez is a restaurant worker in New York City. She’s worked at Tao Group restaurants for 10 years. She cares about her coworkers and has done everything from picking up shifts for coworker emergencies to securing legal help for a coworker taken from her restaurant by bounty hunters working for ICE. A few months ago, she was fired after helping her coworkers exercise their sick leave rights. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protections (DCWP) issued four different charges against the company. Though they have continued to try—the company simply refuses reinstatement. Because they are getting away with it, the message to workers is clear, “exercise your rights and you’ll be fired”.

To fight back, Hannah has moved to the courts. She’s now at the center of a legal battle that could decide the future of Sick Leave enforcement.

The outcome of this case could determine the nature of everyone's access to our Earned Safe and Sick Time rights.

If Hannah wins, the court will affirm what the City Council said: That the private right of action is created to enforce the provisions of the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act. To stop violations as they happen, instead of allowing workers to be harmed till the final closing of their case. If she loses, the courts may signal that delay is a viable strategy for corporations. Showing they can violate the law, ignore city enforcement, and run out the clock while workers lose everything.

But Hannah is a ‘pro se’ litigant. That means she is by herself and has been for months. She has made it so far, but the next steps are critical and she needs help.

This is about more than one worker—it’s about whether labor law actually protects us.

Here’s how you can help:

Donate above to support Hannah’s legal fight. Every dollar creates options.
Volunteer to help us organize outreach, build pressure, and spread the word.

ESSTA was never meant to be symbolic. It was meant to protect us.
If the courts won’t enforce it, we’ll make sure politicians hear us loud and clear.

Stand with Hannah. Defend our rights. Protect NYC’s sick leave law.

Protect New York City Safe & Sick Leave Laws (ESSTA)

By Brandworkers

Protect New York City Safe & Sick Leave Laws (ESSTA)

Support the Workers in Hannah Lopez v. Tao Group

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