Pub. 17 2018-2019 Issue 2

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S I S S U E N O . 3 , 2 0 1 8 30 new jersey auto retailer E arlier this year, Governor Phil Murphy signed a historic and sweeping law that changed the employment landscape in New Jersey. Now, more than ever, employees have an increased and acute awareness of their rights in the workplace and dealers must ensure com- pliance and be armed with the appropriate policies to defend against potential claims. New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Starts October 29, 2018 On May 2, 2018, Governor Murphy signed a law man- dating all private and public New Jersey employers, regardless of size, offer paid sick leave. This makes New Jersey the 10th state to adopt mandatory paid sick leave legislation. The Paid Sick Leave Act (“the Act”) also permits employees to use the leave for their own care or for the care of a family member and expands how paid sick leave can be used, encompassing protections beyond the federal Family Leave and Medical Act, the New Jersey Family Leave Act as well as other leave laws. The new law also fully pre-empts the 13 municipalities in New Jersey with local paid sick leave ordinances, allowing Dealers to adopt a State-wide uniform paid sick leave policy. Murphy’s Law: Maintaining Compliance With New Jersey’s Paid Sick Leave Law BY DINA M. MASTELLONE, ESQ. Coverage Permissible use of sick leave includes the following: 1. Diagnosis, care, treatment, recovery and/or preventive care for the employee’s own mental or physical illness or injury or the employee’s family member’s mental or physical illness or injury; 2. Absence due to a public health emergency declared by a public official that causes the closure of the em- ployee’s workplace or the school or childcare facility of the employee’s child or requires the employee or an employee’s family member to seek care; On May 2, 2018, Governor Murphy signed a law mandating all private and public New Jersey employers, regardless of size, offer paid sick leave.