New Jersey Lawyers BlogNew Jersey Pregnant Employee Protections Enhanced by Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the EEOC’s Implementing Regulations
New Jersey employment law provides significant protections for employees who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have recently given birth.
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination provides protection against discrimination against pregnant and breastfeeding employees. It also requires that employers make reasonable
accommodations available so that pregnant or breastfeeding employees and new mothers can perform their jobs. It prohibits retaliation against employees who request such accommodations. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination gives a non-exhaustive list of such reasonable accommodations: “bathroom breaks, breaks for increased water intake, periodic rest, assistance with manual labor, job restructuring or modified work schedules, and temporary transfers to less strenuous or hazardous work.”
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination generally gives more extensive protection to employees than Federal law, including pregnant and breastfeeding employees, and New Jersey State courts generally provide greater procedural protections for employees than Federal court. Nonetheless, Federal law also provides protections for pregnant employees.