Legislators Approve Amendment Against Wage Discrimination Policies

On Monday, an amendment to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), A-1/S-104, was approved by New Jersey legislators. The amendment, which reflects the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, passed in both houses of Legislature and will combat wage discrimination policies. Former Governor Chris Christie vetoed the passing of the Lilly Ledbetter Act numerous times, and although current Governor Phil Murphy did not comment on the amendment, he has vocalized his support. The legislation would extend the statute of limitations for filing a wage discrimination claim to six years, and restart the statute with each employee payment that is deemed discriminatory. Also, the amendment would prohibit unequal compensation for similar work, assess other factors like education, training, and experience rather than gender when determining pay, prohibit workplace retaliation targeting employees who disclose their salaries, and enable transparency regarding state contracts.

Unfortunately, wage discrimination continues to plague employees who receive less compensation than they are entitled simply due to their gender. By enacting the amendment, equal compensation for workers who perform the same tasks in similar positions would be protected by law. Employees would be evaluated on more than just their genders when determining salaries and raises, and would require employers to follow the policies put in place.

If you believe you are a victim of any kind of workplace discrimination including gender or wage discrimination, contact our South Jersey employment lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates, P.C. at 215-569-1999 or contact us online.