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New Jersey employment law provides that government employees may be fired for conviction of a crime, and for many crimes they must be fired.  However, if they are exonerated they may be reinstated to their position.  They may be subject to further discipline, but if they are not they may also receive back pay, police-hoboken-train-stationseniority and benefits for the period of their suspension.

Suspension During Criminal Charges

New Jersey Civil Service Commission regulations provide that an employee’s conviction of a crime is grounds for discipline.  An employee suspended while a criminal complaint or indictment is pending must be served with a Preliminary Notice of Disciplinary Action (known as a “PNDA”). The PNDA should include a statement that forfeiture of the employee’s position may result, and that the employee may choose to consult with an attorney.  In this case representation by an attorney is always advisable.  Within five days of receipt of the PNDA, the employee may request a departmental hearing. If no request is made (within five days or an agreed upon extension) the employer may issue a Final Notice of Disciplinary Action (an “FNDA”).

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Under New Jersey construction law, each county must establish a construction board of appeals. A construction board of appeals hears the applications of any “person who is aggrieved by any ruling, action, notice, order or decision of a local enforcing agency that enforces either the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code or the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code, including, without limitation, any refusal to grant an application or any failure or refusal to act upon an application, building-home-construction-contractor-blueprint-architecture-300x200but not including any order requiring the taking of emergency measures….”  This is an important tool under New Jersey construction law to challenge wrongful denials by local authorities of building and construction applications.

Most county construction boards of appeals have websites with information about their locations, hours and local procedures.  For example, the Passaic County Board of Construction Appeals can be found here.  The Essex County Board of Construction Appeals can be found here.  The Bergen County Board of Construction Appeals can be found here.  The Monmouth County Board of Construction Appeals can be found here.  The Morris County Board of Construction Appeals can be found here.

Appeals must be filed and received by the local county construction board of appeals within 15 days of receipt of the written notice of the action, ruling, notice or order which is to be appealed.  While the law states 15 days from receipt, we recommend that appeals be received by the construction board of appeals within 15 days from the date on the notice to avoid any later dispute over the date of receipt and the possible rejection of the appeal as untimely.

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In a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that discrimination because of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes illegal sex discrimination in Violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  This ruling applies nationwide, and means that employers may not fire, demote, harass, refuse to hire, or take any other negative action against employees because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.  This has long been the state of us-supreme-court-300x200New Jersey employment law under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination

Title VII and the Bostock Case

Title VII prohibits discrimination against employees because of sex.  Title VII specifically provides that

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Contractors’ Problems With Getting Paid

Our construction attorneys represent New Jersey contractors and subcontractors in construction litigation, arbitration and mediation.  One of the things we see over and over again, is that one of construction companies’ biggest worries is that they will perform all the work they pulaski-skyway-300x201agreed to and then not get paid, despite the fact that they met all the project’s specifications and did a great job.  It is a well-founded worry.  Companies or people who don’t want to pay devise many different schemes, sometimes claiming defects with the work, delay damages, failure to do proper paperwork, the excuses are as varied as is human imagination.  To be clear, sometimes these claims are legitimate, but sometimes they are not, and good contractors need to get paid to do the work and to stay in business.

Fortunately, however, New Jersey construction law provides remedies for these schemes.  Recently, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey issued a decision on these construction law remedies in the case of Petric & Associates, Inc. v. CCA Civil, Inc.  Although the decision was unpublished, it is important because it explores many of these remedies and lays out a roadmap for subcontractors’ remedies against unscrupulous contractors which don’t want to pay them, particularly some of the trickier issues under New Jersey’s Prompt Payment Act.

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The New Jersey Supreme Court recently issued an important employment law decision in the case of  Barila v. Board of Education of Cliffside Park regarding the ability of unions to bargain away employee benefits enjoyed under prior contracts.teacher-300x224

Benefits, such as time off, are terms and conditions of employment which may be bargained for in collective negotiations.  (The term “collective negotiations” is used in the public sector instead of “collective bargaining” because, unlike in the private sector, government employees do not have the right to strike under New Jersey employment law.)  The resulting contract (or “collective negotiation agreement”) sets the terms and conditions of employment, provided the parties have bargained in good faith and the employees receive the minimum levels required by statute.

In this case, under prior contracts between the Cliffside Park Board of Education and the teachers union, including the most recent one in effect from 2012 through 2015, longer term employees could carry over and be paid for their unused sick days up to $25,000.  Not all employees could do so, however, because the New Jersey Legislature had passed a law limiting payment for unused sick time to $15,000 for employees who commenced work on May 21, 2010 or thereafter.  The statutory limit did not apply to employees who started work before May 21, 2010.

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As a result of the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the federal government has passed several pieces of legislation in an attempt to provide relief to struggling businesses.  One of these Acts is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (also known as the “CARES Act”).  However, since this legislation was signed empty-officeinto law, the CARES Act has been subject to various interpretations, pitfalls, and continuously-evolving government guidance.

The CARES Act created and allocated approximately $350 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP).  However, those funds were almost immediately depleted by millions of businesses seeking assistance and the government thereafter allocated an additional $175 billion to the PPP.

The PPP provides loans to struggling businesses in the amount of two and a half times the small business’s average monthly payroll costs.  Thus, if the average monthly payroll is $50,000, the business might be eligible for up to $125,000 in PPP loans.  While the PPP is considered a loan program, the funds may be largely (or entirely) forgiven as long as the business uses the funds for approved expenses which are appropriately documented. However, like most aspects of the CARES Act and the PPP, there has been a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the specific requirements for loan forgiveness.  The SBA (the United States Small Business Administration) alone has posted supplemental rules and guidance on the matter more than ten times in two months.  Thus, as a result, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act was passed on June 5, 2020 amending the CARES Act. This new law has important ramifications for New Jersey small businesses.

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Hi, I’m Rob Chewning. I work with the firm of McLaughlin & Nardi, LLC.  At the firm we practice several different types of law, including bankruptcy law.  I am here today to talk to you about The Small Business Reorganization Act and Subchapter 5 bankruptcies.

As a result of COVID-19, millions of small businesses have been forced to shut down and cease business operations indefinitely with no end in sight.  Some of these small businesses have tried to hold on in the hope of getting federal stimulus money that can carry them through this tough time.  However, there are several million other businesses which will not be eligible or will not be able to get their hands on this federal stimulus money which is causing them to consider the options that they have.

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In the tough economic times brought on by COVID-19, many governors and veterans-300x200mayors, including New Jersey’s Governor Murphy, have said that widespread layoffs may be necessary if federal assistance is not forthcoming.  Our attorneys represent New Jersey Civil Service employees, and we see the struggles they are facing.  Given this, we thought the time was right to review the layoff rights available under New Jersey Civil Service law.

 
Layoffs

A layoff is the termination of a permanent employee’s employment because of economic reasons.  Demotions or reduction of hours for economic reasons are also treated as layoffs, triggering the rights and procedures applicable to layoffs.

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As a result of the Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”), the federal government has passed significant legislation in an attempt to provide relief to businesses small-business-300x215struggling with economic hardships as a result of widespread closures and stay-at-home orders.  One major part of these governmental actions includes the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (also known as the “CARES Act”) on April 2, 2020.

The CARES Act provides for approximately $2 trillion in aid through expanded unemployment assistance, individual relief checks, tax credits, loans, and grants to businesses which were closed or significantly effected by COVID-19, and funding to hospitals and health care facilities. Of this, approximately $350 billion was allocated to the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP).   When that money was almost immediately sought by the millions of businesses seeking assistance, an additional $175 billion was additionally allocated.

The PPP limited its funding to each company to two and a half times the company’s average monthly payroll costs.  While the PPP is considered a loan program, the funds may largely (or entirely) be forgiven as long as the company uses the funds for approved expenses. The details of exactly which expenses would be considered approved and how these funds could be used has been the subject of much uncertainty over the past several weeks.  Indeed, the SBA (Small Business Administration) has posted additional rules and guidance on the matter more than 10 times in two months.

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As a result of the Coronavirus (COV-19), millions of small businesses have been forced to close their business operations entirely with seemingly no end in sight. small-business-300x200 Naturally, this has led to a spike in bankruptcy filings.  However, many small businesses have held out hope for federal stimulus aid before deciding on whether bankruptcy is the right option for them.

The enactment of a new bankruptcy law, the Small Business Reorganization Act, may provide small businesses suffering from COV-19 related financial issues with relief.  The purpose of the act was to make the benefits that larger business entities may take advantage of when filing for a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy easier to access for smaller business entities seeking relief from debt without going out of business.  The Act simplifies the process by allowing small businesses to file a Subchapter 5 bankruptcy reorganization.

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