The Department of Labor (DOL or Department) issued a final rule on January 6, 2021, clarifying who is an independent contractor versus an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act). Why does it matter, anyway? It matters because employers are required to pay their employees at least the federal minimum wage...
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Category: News
When Marijuana is Legal Can I Fired For Getting High?
As New Jersey moves toward the legalization of marijuana and decriminalizing possession charges or marijuana, many employees may be wondering if they can get fired for being high at work and the truth is, the answer is complicated.
In November 2020, New Jersey lawmakers passed a...
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New Jersey Passes Laws to Protect Workers from Illegal Misclassification as Contractors
On January 20, 2020, New Jersey passed several new laws aimed at protecting workers from being denied the benefits of employment through misclassification as independent contractors. The laws were passed to rectify the problem of employers treating workers who work 40 hours a week for them as independent contractors. Right now, employers...
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New Jersey Clarifies Used of Paid Sick Leave
Through new regulations, New Jersey clarified the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law (NJESLL).
To comply with the law, an employer’s paid time off (PTO) policy must allow an employee to use all PTO for reasons covered by the ESLL, permit employees to use the time off as required by the NJESLL, pay...
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New Jersey Becomes First State to Require Severance Pay for Mass Layoffs
In a victory for New Jersey employees, on January 21, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that guarantees severance pay to New Jersey employees who lose their jobs in mass layoffs. New Jersey is...
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Jury Awards $6M in Racial Bias Suit
The lawsuit was filed by Rebecca McCarthy, an African American woman fired from her $190,000-per-year position as vice president of clinical leadership at the company's location in Bound Brook.
A Bergen County jury has awarded a $6 million verdict in a racial discrimination suit by...
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New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Act – An Overview
In October 2018, the New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Act became effective. The Act requires employers in New Jersey to provide employees with one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked, which accrues up to a max of 40 hours that can carryover each...
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Hairstyle Discrimination in New Jersey
The way you keep your hair is an important and expressive aspect of your identity. It’s part of the way you present yourself to the people around you. For people whose hair meets what we typically think of as societal norms and expectations, it’s not...
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#MeToo on Wall Street
“A textbook case of sexual harassment” on Wall Street
Sara Tirschwell, a former employee of the asset-management firm TCW, filed a lawsuit against her former company, TCW’s chief executive, and her former boss Jess Ravich. She alleges that after rebuffing her boss’s sexual...
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New Jersey Bans Employers From Past Salary Inquiries
Phil Murphy, New Jersey's Governor signed "Executive Order #1" hours after being sworn in which bans the practice of inquiries into salary history during the hiring of public employees. The order took effect February 1st, 2018 and is aimed at helping eliminate the gender wage gap in New Jersey.
Currently women earn approximately 80%...
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