Blog

M. Tae Phillips Birmingham Author

Marijuana Legalization Update for 2020: A Primer on the Latest Medicinal and Recreational Use News

In the past several years, marijuana legalization has become an increasingly difficult issue for employers to navigate. Marijuana legalization raises challenging workplace questions related to drug testing, disability accommodation, workplace safety, hiring, and employment termination, among other issues. Because of the fast-evolving nature of marijuana laws, and the wide variance in laws and protections from state to state, employers have struggled to keep up.

New Jersey High Court Updates State’s Arbitration Case Law to Reflect Modern Business Practice

For the second time in a little over one month, the Supreme Court of New Jersey has issued an employer-friendly ruling upholding the enforceability of arbitration agreements in the employment context.

Dean J. Shauger Philadelphia Author

New Jersey Supreme Court Confirms Enforceability of Employment Arbitration Agreements With Class Action Waivers Exempted Under FAA

On May 21, 2018, in Epic Systems Corporation v. Lewis, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld class action waivers in arbitration agreements, ruling that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) instructs “federal courts to enforce arbitration agreements according to their terms—including terms providing for individualized proceedings.” On July 14, 2020, the Supreme Court of New Jersey handed down a landmark decision of its own upholding the enforceability of employment arbitration agreements with class action waivers under the New Jersey Arbitration Act (NJAA), even if the agreements are exempted from the coverage of the FAA, by virtue of the FAA’s Section 1 “transportation worker exemption.”

Dean J. Shauger Philadelphia Author

New Jersey Department of Labor Issues Mandatory Misclassification Poster

In January of this year, New Jersey enacted a package of laws designed to root out and punish misclassification of employees as independent contractors.

New Jersey Issues Executive Order No. 142 on Non-essential Construction Projects and Non-essential Retail Businesses

Two weeks after announcing “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health Through Public Health” plan, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy signed Executive Order (EO) No. 142 on May 13, 2020, permitting non-essential construction projects and non-essential retail businesses to reopen effective 6:00 a.m. on May 18, 2020. This is Governor Murphy’s first step in restarting New Jersey’s economy since he issued the stay-at-home mandate in EO No. 107on March 21, 2020.

Carmen J. DiMaria Morristown Author

New Jersey Expands State Family Leave Act and Family Leave Insurance Act to Provide Coverage for COVID-19 Leave

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, on April 14, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 2374 (S2374), which amends the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) and the New Jersey Family Leave Insurance law (NJFLI) to provide job-protected, paid leave to care for family members quarantined due to COVID-19, and amends the NJFLA to provide for job-protected unpaid leave to care for children due to COVID-19 school closures. The legislation also allows employers to seek certification relating to these expanded categories of leave, allows highly paid employees to take leave if the leave is COVID-19 related, and provides that COVID-19-related leave may be taken on an intermittent basis.

Kevin B. Walker Morristown Author

Valerie L. Weiss Morristown Author

New Jersey Amends State Mini-WARN Act: Mass Layoffs Due to COVID-19 Do Not Trigger NJ WARN; Other NJ WARN Act Amendments Delayed

We previously reported on amendments to the New Jersey mini-WARN Act (known officially as the Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act ) (NJWARN), which were set to take effect on July 19, 2020. These amendments revise the NJWARN act in many significant ways.

New Jersey Closes all Non-Essential Construction Projects

On April 8, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 122, requiring the closure of all non-essential construction projects beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2020. The executive order does not define “non-essential construction project”; instead, it lists the following “essential construction projects” that may continue to operate.

New Jersey Adds to List of “Essential” Retail Businesses Permitted to Remain Open Pursuant to Executive Order 107

We recently reported that on March 21, 2020, Governor Philip D. Murphy’s Executive Order (EO) No. 107 ordered that all non-essential retail businesses close their physical locations in New Jersey until further notice effective immediately. On March 30, 2020, New Jersey expanded, for the second time, the list of essential retail businesses whose physical locations are permitted to continue operating during their normal business hours (which were originally included in EO 107’s order to close “nonessential” businesses to prevent the further spread of COVID-19).

New Jersey Expands the List of Essential Retail Businesses Permitted to Remain Open in Accordance With Executive Order 107

On March 21, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued Executive Order No. 107 (EO 107), which ordered all nonessential retail businesses to close their physical locations in New Jersey until further notice. Then on March 24, 2020, the state expanded the list of essential retail businesses whose physical locations are permitted to continue operating during their normal business hours.

New Jersey to Close All Non-Emergency Childcare Centers on April 1, 2020

On March 25, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 110 (EO 110), which mandates the closing of all childcare centers operating in New Jersey unless they are certified as emergency childcare centers and agree to “provide child care services exclusively to ‘essential persons’ during the school closure period.”

New Jersey Postpones Elective Surgeries and Invasive Procedures Due to COVID-19

New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy signed Executive Order (EO) No. 109 on March 23, 2020, suspending all “elective surgeries and invasive procedures performed on adults that are scheduled to take place after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27.”

New Jersey Governor Issues Stay Home Executive Order Closing Non-Essential Retail Businesses

On March 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order (EO) No. 107, requiring New Jersey residents to stay at home and closing the physical location of any non-essential retail business so long as the order stays in effect. Although their “brick-and-mortar” locations must remain closed, businesses may continue to operate their online and telephone delivery services to the extent they are licensed to do so. The order went into effect on March 21, 2020, at 9:00 p.m.

Kevin B. Walker Morristown Author

Governor Murphy Proposes Numerous Changes to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination

On February 18, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy proposed a host of legislative changes to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) (N.J.S.A. 10:5-1, et seq.). According to the governor, the changes aim “to clarify legal grey areas.”

Meghan A. Mills Philadelphia Author

Michael J. Westwood-Booth Morristown Author

Keeping Up With New Jersey Employment Law Developments

It was a busy January 2020 in Trenton, with the state enacting several new employment laws, with more apparently on the way. This is in addition to the slew of new laws adopted in 2019 impacting New Jersey employers. Here’s a summary of recent employment law developments in New Jersey just one month into 2020, a look at what may be on the way, and a recap of 2019’s changes.

Rachel C. Stone Philadelphia Author

New Jersey Enacts New Employer Requirements for Mass Terminations or Layoffs

On January 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3170, which expands New Jersey’s Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act (New Jersey WARN Act) well beyond the requirements of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988. The law is scheduled to go into effect on July 19, 2020, and will make New Jersey the first state to guarantee payment of severance to employees affected by mass layoffs.

Peter O. Hughes Morristown Author

New Jersey Resumes Efforts to Amend ABC Test for Independent Contractor Status, Passes Slate of Laws Targeting Misclassification

The New Jersey legislature closed out 2019 by trying to push through a bill that would have substantially amended the state’s “ABC test” for determining independent contractor status, and effectively prohibited New Jersey companies from utilizing independent contractor workforces. On January 14, 2020, the state senate introduced S863, which presents many of the same problems for New Jersey businesses that its predecessors did.

Charles E. McDonald, III Greenville Author

New Year, New Minimum Rates: State-by-State Minimum Wage Updates for 2020

In 2020, a number of states’ minimum wage rates will increase. The following chart lists the states’ (and certain major localities’) minimum wage increases for 2020—and future years if available—along with the related changes in the maximum tip credit and minimum cash wage for tipped employees. The federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 per

Second Circuit Stamps Out Approval Requirement for FLSA Claims Settled Via Rule 68 Offers of Judgment

On December 6, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held in Yu v. Hasaki Restaurant, Inc., No. 17-3388, that judicial approval is not required to settle Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims via a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68(a) offer of judgment.

Kelly M. Cardin Stamford
New York Author

Erik D. Mass New York Author

Jessica R. Schild New York Author

Employers Beware: New Jersey Enacts One of the Toughest “Wage Theft” Laws in the Country

On August 6, 2019, Acting Governor Sheila Oliver signed the New Jersey Wage Theft Act (WTA) into law. The law has been touted by proponents as the toughest wage theft statute in the country. Notwithstanding its name, the WTA goes far beyond attempting to prevent and punish intentional “wage theft” by significantly expanding the liability even the best-intentioned employers will face for state wage law violations.

Michael J. Westwood-Booth Morristown Author

New Jersey to Require Certain Employers to Provide Pretax Transportation Fringe Benefits

On March 1, 2019, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill No. 1567 (S1567) into law, making New Jersey the first state to require certain employers to provide pretax transportation fringe benefits to employees.

Michael K. Mahoney Morristown Author

New Jersey Bars Nondisclosure Agreements in All Discrimination Settlements, Purports to Bar Arbitration Agreements

On March 18, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 121 (S121), which amends the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) in two important respects, effective immediately.

Peter O. Hughes Morristown Author

Michael Nacchio Morristown Author

New Jersey Expands Family Leave Laws

On February 19, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that amends and significantly expands New Jersey’s existing Family Leave Act (NJFLA) and Family Leave Insurance law (NJFLI).

Michael Nacchio Morristown Author

Alexander M. Chemers Los Angeles Author

Third Circuit Rules That FAAAA Does Not Preempt New Jersey’s ABC Test for Determining Independent Contractor Status

On January 29, 2019, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) does not preempt New Jersey’s ABC test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee.

New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to Reach at Least $15 by 2024

New Jersey has joined the ranks of California, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia in requiring a phased increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour as a result of a bill (A-15/S-15) signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Monday, February 4, 2019.

Michael Nacchio Morristown Author

State-by-State Minimum Wage Updates for 2019 and Beyond

In 2019, a number of states’ minimum wage rates will increase.

Charles E. McDonald, III Greenville Author

New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law Update: NJDOL Issues New Guidance

In response to many questions about the New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law, which will go into effect on Monday, October 29, 2018, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued a detailed list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on October 24, 2018.

Michael J. Riccobono Morristown Author

Frequently Asked Questions About the New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law, Part III

The New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law (PSLL) goes into effect on October 29, 2018. We have received hundreds of questions in the last few weeks from employers seeking guidance on what they must do to comply with the law in advance of its looming effective date. This is part three in a three-part series answering some of these frequently asked questions.