Tag: New Jersey

Federal Inactivity Continues to Spark State Immigration Action

A federal judge blocked parts of Arizona’s new immigration law on Wednesday, the day before the rest of the measure went into effect. But legal challenges are already flying and many are waiting to see what happens next. Last year, a record number of immigration-related laws were considered and passed in the 50 states. Over […]

Medical Marijuana Compassionate Use Laws Among 2010 Legislative Actions

by Lorraine Yeomans The 2010 state legislative sessions have kicked off across the nation, and one of the first pieces of legislation to be signed into law this year was a bill legalizing the use of medical marijuana. On January 18, as one of his last acts before leaving office, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine […]

Beware of Favoritism in the Hiring and Promotion Process

A federal appellate court recently allowed a discrimination case against an employer to proceed to trial because the hiring manager spent extra time with one of the candidates. Audit your hiring policies and practices with the Employment Practices Self-Audit Workbook Facts William Snooks started work as a customer activities specialist for Duquesne Light Company (DLC) […]

New I-9 Form Required Starting April 3

All employers are required to verify the employment eligibility of their employees by completing a federal Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 for each worker. Employers can use self-audits to verify that the employment eligibility documentation kept on file for their employees is accurate. Recent changes Effective April 3, 2009, the list of documents acceptable to […]

Top Employment Issues for States in 2009: Part 2 – FMLA, Discrimination, Minimum Wage, Safety

Last week, we discussed four employment law issues state legislatures will be grappling with in 2009 — layoff notification laws, immigration, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it’s state equivalents, and unemployment benefits. This week, we’ll discuss four more – family and medical leave, workplace discrimination, minimum wage, and occupational safety. As with last […]

EEOC Addresses Associational Discrimination and Code Words

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is in the middle of its E-Race Initiative, which is designed to eliminate race and color discrimination in the workplace by identifying issues that contribute to it. The commission intends to achieve its goals for the E-Race Initiative by 2013. Two factors it’s currently addressing are associational discrimination and […]

Driving Matters: Cell Phone Laws in Effect Soon

Starting July 1, it will be illegal in California to drive while using a cell phone, unless the phone is equipped with a hands-free device. Also as of July 1, teens under age 18 can’t drive while using a cell phone—even using a hands-free device. Teens also can’t drive while using any other mobile service […]

Lordy, Lordy, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act Turns 40

by Boyd A. Byers Forty is a mystical number in many cultures. In ancient Babylonia, the number was known as kissatuin, meaning “the excellent quantity.” The great flood described in the Bible resulted from 40 days and 40 nights of rain. Forty is the only number, when spelled out in English, whose letters are in […]