New Jersey Lawyers BlogProgressive Discipline: Consideration of Prior Infractions in Discipline of New Jersey Civil Service Employees
Our employment law attorneys represent public employees in all phases of their employer-employee relationship. We regularly represent civil service employees in appealing the imposition of discipline. One of the bedrock principles of New Jersey civil service employment law is the concept of “progressive discipline.”
Background
New Jersey has a long history of government employment decisions being made for political reasons – this is, after all, the state of Frank “I Am The Law” Hague. That is why New Jersey Legislature established the civil service system in 1908 to remove political influence, favoritism, cronyism and nepotism from decision making in the hiring, firing and discipline of New Jersey government employees. Today, the Civil Service Act and the regulations adopted by the Civil Service govern hiring for employees of the State of New Jersey, twenty of New Jersey’s twenty one counties, and many of its municipalities, boards and commissions. For the State of New Jersey then, and the local governments which have adopted the civil service system, employee discipline is governed by civil service.