If they worked more than 29 hours a week they were, if I recall the law. I believe three months of Bereavement pay just passed in NY as well.
Can you imagine a farmer standing outside on his porch telling his farm that for the next 3 months it has to water, till, and harvest the crops on its own and all the animals need to feed, water, and clean up after themselves? Lunacy!
If someone needs more than a few days to take care of business for the passing of a loved one then they can use their vacation time if they have any coming or forgo pay for the time they are gone. They will be fine if they can be back to work with a stiff spine in a reasonable amount of time. That farmer can't even take more than one day and it better be a Sunday. It's likely the neighboring farmers would help but they have their own farms to tend as well.
Are NYC people really that weak and spineless? Do they really need to crawl up into a ball for 3 months to get over the loss of a loved one? Sheesh!