NYC council proposal lets off-duty workers disconnect

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A New York City Council proposal would protect private-sector employees who don't want to get work emails and phone calls after hours.

Councilman Rafael Espinal introduced the bill Thursday.

Espinal says, "The lines between our work and personal lives have blurred. My bill will simply protect employees from retaliation when they choose to disconnect."

Espinal's legislation is modeled after a "Right to Disconnect" law passed in France last year.

His legislation would make it illegal for an employer with more than 10 workers to require employees to access work-related communications outside of normal work hours.

It also would prohibit employers from taking action against employees for not responding.

A fellow Democrat, Diane Savino, is working on a similar proposal for the state legislature.  Business groups say the measure is too broad and would overly burden employers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.