Although COVID-19 may have caused last year to feel like a long extension of 2020, 2021 saw several significant changes to New Jersey’s employment law landscape that have nothing to do with face coverings or vaccinations. By way of highlight and summary, New Jersey’s 2021 employment-related measures include:
the enactment of three separate cannabis reform bills that formally legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana and provide that employers cannot discriminate against recreational or medical marijuana users or take adverse employment action against an employee who tests positive for cannabis, unless the positive test is followed by a physical evaluation by a certified Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert (WIRE) (see our previous blog post and NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission regulations delaying implementation of requirement for evaluation by a WIRE);
an amendment strengthening the protections against age discrimination under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) by deleting the provision that had allowed employers not to hire or to promote employees over age 70 because of their age (see our previous blog post); and
a permanent injunction issued by U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey preventing the New Jersey Attorney General from enforcing the NJLAD’s ban on arbitration agreements (see our previous blog post).
Although none of these new laws resulted in changes to employer notice and posting requirements or updates...
; ; ; agreed to pay $17.07 million to settle federal allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices on Friday, marking the Justice Department's first resolution unde...