NJ Department of Labor Adopts Regulations on Suspension and Revocation of Employer Licenses

NJ Department of Labor Adopts Regulations on Suspension and Revocation of Employer Licenses

October 18, 2019

Continuing New Jersey’s efforts to eliminate and to hold employers accountable for employee misclassification, the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) recently adopted Regulations implementing a 2010 law (“Law”) that empowers the NJDOL Commissioner (“Commissioner”) under certain circumstances to direct the suspension or revocation of one or more licenses held by an employer who has failed to maintain and report required State wage, benefits and tax records or who has failed to pay…

NJ Division on Civil Rights Issues Guidance on Illegal Discrimination Based on Hair

September 30, 2019

In September 2019, the New Jersey Division of Rights (“DCR”) issued enforcement guidance (“Guidance”) clarifying and explaining how the DCR applies the state’s Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) to discrimination based on hairstyles, particularly with respect to those “closely associated with Black people.” The Guidance states that the LAD’s prohibition on discrimination based on race encompasses discrimination that is ostensibly based on hairstyles that are inextricably intertwined with or closely associated with race and therefore prohibits…

Sweeping NJ “Wage Theft” Law Exponentially Expands Exposure for Wage Claims

By Maxine Neuhauser & Michael D. Thompson

August 23, 2019

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As the result of a sweeping “Wage Theft” law (“Law”), which became effective upon enactment on August 6, 2019, New Jersey employers will face toughened penalties and increased exposure for failure to pay wages, benefits and overtime (collectively “wages”) owed to workers. Employers should take immediate notice because any missteps or mistakes may prove extremely costly. In sum, the Law: makes employees eligible to receive 200% liquidated damages for all unpaid wages and…

New Jersey’s Highest Court to Decide Whether Employers Are Required to Accommodate Medical Marijuana Use

By Maxine Neuhauser, Nathaniel M. Glasser, Denise Dadika & Anastasia A. Regne

July 24, 2019

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On July 16, 2019, the New Jersey Supreme Court (“Court”) granted certification to review the Appellate Division’s decision in Wild v. Carriage Funereal Holdings, which ruled that the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination’s (“LAD”) requirement that employers reasonably accommodate disabilities applied to an employee’s use of medical cannabis legally prescribed pursuant to New Jersey’s Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act (“CUMMA”[1]). Employers may expect to see additional direction regarding their obligation to accommodate…

New Jersey Enacts Broad Employment Protections for Registered Medical Cannabis Users

By Nathaniel M. Glasser, Denise Dadika, Maxine Neuhauser & Anastasia A. Regne

July 11, 2019

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On July 2, 2019, New Jersey joined Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, New York City, and Oklahoma in enacting employment protections for authorized users of medical cannabis. New Jersey’s new medical cannabis law (“Law”), which became effective upon signing by Governor Phil Murphy, amends the state’s Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act (“CUMCA”),[1] N.J.S.A. 24:61-2, et seq. Among other measures, the Law prohibits employers from taking an adverse employment action against a…

New Jersey Issues Updated Family Leave Act and Family Leave Insurance Act Posters

Technology Employment Law

May 14, 2019

On February 19, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law A 3975 (“the Law”), which significantly expanded the state’s the Family Leave Act (“NJFLA”), Family Leave Insurance Act (“NJFLI”), and Security and Financial Empowerment Act (“SAFE Act”). We prepared an Act Now Advisory, summarizing the extensive changes made by the Law, including, among other things, the expanding and making uniform the definition of “family member” for all three laws, and, effective June…

New Jersey Issues Updated Family Leave Act and Family Leave Insurance Act Posters

May 14, 2019

Act Now Advisory – It’s Official: New Jersey’s Minimum Wage Will (Gradually) Increase to $15/Hour

By Maxine Neuhauser & Alkida Kacani

February 11, 2019

Joining California and New York, New Jersey has become the third state with a phased-in $15 minimum wage requirement for most employees. On February 4, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law A15 (“Law”), which raises the state minimum wage rate for employers with six or more employees to $10.00 per hour on July 1, 2019, and then to $11.00 per hour on January 1, 2020. Thereafter, the minimum wage will increase annually on January…

Act Now Advisory: New Jersey Lawmakers Reach Deal to Increase State Minimum Wage to $15/Hour by 2024

By Maxine Neuhauser & Alkida Kacani

January 22, 2019

On January 17, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and legislative leaders announced an agreement to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024. Under the agreement, and presuming enactment, effective July 1, 2019, the state’s minimum wage for most workers will increase from $8.85 to $10 an hour; thereafter, it will increase $1 an hour every January 1 until reaching $15 on January 1, 2024. For seasonal workers and employees of…