The National Law Review
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
A little more than 100 days into his tenure, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has made it clear that employment is one of his top priorities. In the past two weeks, Gov. Murphy has signed a Paid Sick Leave and an Equal Pay bill into law and established a Task Force on Employee Misclassification.
Paid Sick Leave
The New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Act was signed into law on May 2, 2018, and takes effect on October 29, 2018. It will require New Jersey employers of all sizes to offer their employees one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
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Task Force on Employee Misclassification
On May 3, 2018, Gov. Murphy signed an executive order establishing a Task Force on Employee Misclassification. Misclassification is when workers are incorrectly labeled as independent contractors rather than employees. Workers who are incorrectly classified frequently are not provided benefits and other protections available to employees, such as minimum wage, overtime compensation, family and medical leave, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
The New Jersey Task Force will be charged with a number of responsibilities to combat employee misclassification, including:
- Examining and evaluating existing misclassification enforcement by executive departments and agencies
- Developing best practices by departments and agencies to increase coordination of information and efficient enforcement
- Developing recommendations to foster compliance with the law, including by educating employers, workers, and the public about misclassification
- Conducting a review of existing law and applicable procedures related to misclassification