Blog

May 22, 2014

NJ high school and college interns as well as other young aspiring professionals working in New York City will now have the same anti-discrimination and harassment protections as all employees. On April 15, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio signed a bill protecting unpaid interns in NYC from sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. This was a clarification of the law, spurred by the case of Lihuan Wang. Wang was a former unpaid intern for Phoenix Satellite Television. She sued after allegedly being harassed by her supervisor. However, her case was thrown out by Judge Kevin Castel, who said…

May 15, 2014

If you’re one of the thousands of New Jersey residents who are unemployed and still looking for a job, the State Senate delivered you some good news on Monday, May 12. A bill prohibiting employers from using employment status as a condition of hiring passed through the state senate, 23-13, moving it on to the Assembly. Under bill-S1440, employers would be permitted to inquire about potential employees’ work history and why they were fired or left the job, but it cannot factor into their hiring decision. Employers would also be allowed to limit job searches to…

May 8, 2014

A Woodbridge personal injury law firm has been thrust into the news after it fired an employee who suffered a panic attack during lunch. Now the woman, Laura Springvloed, is suing her former employers for lost wages, court fees, attorneys’ fees, compensatory damages, consequential damages, and punitive damages. According to the lawsuit, Springvloed claims she had anxiety problems which worsened following a surgery to remove a mass from her breast. On Feb. 22, 2013, she suffered a panic attack during lunch. She texted her boss, saying: “I’m not coming back. I’m physically shaking and suffering inside.

April 17, 2014

A case in New Jersey involving a man’s use of medical marijuana and his job’s decision to make him enroll in drug rehab is one of, if not the first of its kind in the state. As marijuana reform slowly makes its way around the country, these types of cases will likely become more common place. Charlie Davis was prescribed medical marijuana to treat his end-stage renal failure. After failing a drug test for NJ Transit, he was suspended and told that he could not work for the company until completing a drug rehab program. He…

April 3, 2014

Employers in the Tri-State Area can breathe a sigh of relief. Based on data compiled by Hiscox, an international small business insurance company, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are not at the top of the list of the riskiest states for employee lawsuits. Based on the study, U.S. businesses with at least 10 employees have a 12.5 percent chance to have an employment liability lawsuit filed against them. However, there were multiple states with a much higher probability than that. We have offices by appointment in Elizabeth-New Brunswick-West New York-Plainfield-Edison-Perth Amboy-Newark-Jersey City-Orange-Westfield-and Summit New Jersey…

March 27, 2014

Working Families United for New Jersey is partnering with members of the state legislature in a campaign to make NJ the second state in the U.S. to enact a law giving paid sick leave to all workers. Currently, Newark and Jersey City have passed similar protections for its workers, but the hope is to get the rest of the state on board. For many workers in different occupations, coming down with a sickness at the wrong time can be devastating to their finances. A few days off work, unpaid, may have a significant effect on areas…

March 18, 2014

In response to a brutal attack of a correctional officer by an inmate at New Jersey State Prison, state lawmakers have introduced a bill which would give corrections officers full salary during their recovery period. A corrections officer named Eligia Then was assaulted on Feb. 6 by an inmate. She suffered bruises to her neck from being choked, while also sustaining bruises on her right eye, her nose, cuts on her eyebrows and cheeks, as well as head injuries. Currently, New Jersey officers must use sick leave and personal days in the five days after sustaining an…

March 6, 2014

Late in January, NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed a bill which extends and strengthens protection for pregnant workers from discrimination. It also requires that employers make adequate accommodations to allow their pregnant employees to continue to work. Some of these accommodations include allowing more bathroom breaks, allowing the pregnant woman to carry a bottle of water, allowing some rest breaks, rearranging the schedule and a restructuring of job duties to prevent her from heavy lifting. The law covers women who have recently given birth, as well as pregnant women, and applies to employers, landlords, lenders and others.

February 6, 2014

A recent study concluded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that wage gap between men and women in New Jersey actually got wider in 2012, for a second straight year. The study also showed that that New Jersey’s wage gap is larger than the national average. Full-time female workers earned 79.4 percent of the weekly pay of their male peers, basically meaning that women earn less than 80 cents for every one dollar a man makes. The national average was slightly higher, with women bringing in 80.9 percent of what their male counterparts made. The initial…

January 30, 2014

A controversial bill which recently advanced through the NJ Assembly may give people with criminal backgrounds a real second chance. Assembly bill A3837 would delay companies with at least 15 employees from conducting background checks on potential employees – until such time as the individual has been offered a job. If passed, this would allow a reformed criminal to interview based on skills and merits, without the gray cloud of a criminal background hanging over their heads. We’ve all seen the question on job applications. If you have a criminal background, checking “yes in the box and rehashing the…