Law Office of Ralph A. Somma

01/14/2026

Effective January 1, 2026 the minimum wage rate for employees in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County increased to $17 per hour. The rate for the remainder of New York State increased to $16 per hour.
Learn more here: https://sommafirm.com/2025/12/31/2026-minimum-wage-increase/

11/11/2025

02/06/2025

How to Prepare for I-9 Audits and ICE Raids
As a result of the Trump administration’s effort to identify and detain undocumented workers, employers can expect increased Form I-9 audits and raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Learn more here: https://sommafirm.com/2025/02/05/i9-audits-and-raids/

10/11/2024

Talk about accepting a job with purpose. 💼 When President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered Frances Perkins the role of Secretary of the Department of Labor in 1933, Perkins accepted, but with a bold agenda: A 40-hour workweek, minimum wage, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation, a federal ban on child labor, direct federal aid for unemployment relief, Social Security, a revitalized public employment service, and health insurance. The most incredible part? She was able to achieve most of those items during her 12-year tenure as Labor Secretary.

✍️ Just some of the many reasons she deserves to be recognized with a national monument! Sign the petition today: https://francesperkinscenter.org/national-monument-campaign/

📸: Getty Images

03/13/2024

A new law recently went into effect in New York restricting employers from requesting or accessing employees’ and applicants’ personal social media accounts.
Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/234m838o

02/02/2024

New York State Labor Law requires employers to provide workers with notice of their right to file for Unemployment Insurance whenever there is “an interruption of continued employment resulting in total or partial unemployment”. Learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/23v2k5tm

12/29/2023

On January 1, 2024, New York’s minimum wage will increase to $16/hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, and $15/hour for the rest of the state. The Exempt salary thresholds are also increasing. Learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/ywswefh7

03/22/2023

On March 31, 2021, the Ma*****na Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) legalized the recreational use of cannabis by adults in New York. The first legal sale of recreational cannabis took place at an dispensary in Manhattan on December 29, 2022.
How does legal cannabis effect the workplace?
Click this link to my blog post to learn more: https://sommafirm.com/2023/03/22/recreational-cannabis/

02/01/2023

Check out my latest Workplace Legal Alert here:
https://sommafirm.com/2023/02/01/pregnant-nursing/

01/18/2023

Managing Your Emotions After Being Laid Off

It is easy to feel embarrassed, guilty, frustrated, or angry when you’ve suffered a job loss. But if you recognize that many layoffs aren’t the slightest bit personal, it can help you stay focused on the future, not the past. Surround yourself with positive people, think of the obstacles you’v...