By now, most employers had already implemented or were posed to implement the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime rules aimed at swelling the ranks of employees eligible for overtime payments. The rule increased the salary threshold to qualify for the executive, administrative or professional overtime exemptions from…
Labor & Employment
New Jersey Bill Would Prohibit Employers From Inquiring Into Compensation History
Earlier this month, the New Jersey State Assembly reviewed Assembly Bill 4119 (“A-4119”), which would amend the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination to prohibit employers from seeking compensation history from prospective employees. The purpose of A-4119 is “to strengthen protections against employment discrimination and thereby promote equal pay for women[.]”…
Morristown New Jersey Adopts Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
As the State legislature continues to debate the merits and the provisions of a comparable state law governing paid sick leave, Morristown has moved forward. Morristown now becomes the 13th municipality in New Jersey to adopt a paid sick leave ordinance that is applicable to all non-union, non-governmental employers operating within…
Department of Justice Hitches Environmental Crimes to Worker Safety Violations
THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2015 saw two striking pronouncements on criminal prosecutions and civil actions against individuals. The first, referred to unofficially as the “Yates Memo,” came in the form of new guidance to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and all United States attorneys on individual accountability. The second came in the form of a memorandum…
OSHA: Additional Reporting Requirements On Employers
On May 11, OSHA promulgated a new regulation imposing additional reporting requirements on employers. All non-exempted employers are already require to report information on work related illnesses and injuries to OSHA on paper forms, however, the new rule requires that certain submissions now be made electronically. The newly promulgated regulation…
DOL Issues Final Rules That Significantly Restrict The White Collar Exemptions To The FLSA’s Overtime Requirements
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates that employees be paid one and one-half times their standard hourly rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a given workweek. There are several exceptions to that overtime requirement, including an exemption for “white collar workers”…
Employer’s Defense To Disability Discrimination Claim Doomed By Its Own Job Descriptions: Is It Time To Review And Update Your Job Descriptions?
In light a recent decision of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, in Sheridan v. Egg Harbor Township Board of Education, it certainly is. The Facts: Barbara Sheridan, an obese individual, was employed for eight years as a custodian by Egg Harbor Township Board of Education (the “Board”). After…
New Jersey Appellate Court Clarifies Employers’ Limitations in Demanding Fitness-For-Duty Exams From Employees
In a recent published decision, the New Jersey Appellate Division clarified the circumstances under which an employer’s directive that an employee submit to a psychological for fitness-for-duty examination serves a “legitimate, job-related business purpose” as required under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the EEOC’s Enforcement. The case, In…
Pressing an Employee About Retirement Can be Evidence of Age Discrimination
Employers are often tempted to make inquiries to older employees about their retirement plans. At times these inquiries are motivated by a desire to be prepared for future staffing needs in the event of a retirement, but at others they are driven by a desire to rid the workplace of…
The Use of Third-Party Employees and Joint Employer Status Under Fair Labor Standards and Family Medical Leave Acts
To escape the economic and administrative burdens of the employer-employee relationship, employers increasingly turn to “shared employee” arrangements with Professional Employee Organizations (PEOs), staffing agencies, independent contractors and other third party vendors to supply temporary workers. In doing so, employers typically assume that the third-party provider is the “employer” of…