After a year that brought with it so many setbacks for working people across the country, a bright spot of good news emerged recently in the New Jersey State Senate. The senate recently introduced a bill protecting employees’ rights to sue employers and third parties on grounds of discrimination.
The bill, which seeks to strengthen the protections that employees enjoy under New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) could heavily impact legal actions against employers or third parties that commit discriminatory acts in the workplace.
One of the most notable aspects of the bill are the passages that restrict employers’ abilities to deter employees or former employees from speaking out against them by way of non-disclosure agreements or other such clauses in a contract.
If the bill passes, employers who attempt to enforce these kinds of clauses to dissuade employees from suing for discrimination, harassment or retaliation may simply see those clauses struck down and ignored in court.
Unfortunately, discrimination is still such a problem in the workplace that thousands of workers across the country experience it each and every year. It is encouraging to see the state’s lawmakers leaning toward greater dignity for workers, but there is still much work to do.
If you believe that your employer discriminates against you, or if some other party discriminates against you or harasses you in the workplace, do not hesitate to speak with an experienced, established employment law attorney. Professional legal counsel helps ensure that you keep your rights protected while fighting to make the workplace a safer place for all workers.
Source: SHRM, “New Jersey Bill Would Revise Anti-Bias Law to Limit Employment Agreements,” Robyn L. Aversa, Richard J. Cino and James M. McDonnell, Dec. 12, 2017
