New Jersey Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights (7/1/24)

On January 12, 2024, Governor Phil Murphy signed the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights (S723) into law, representing a landmark victory for labor rights groups across the state. The new law, effective July 2024, extends labor rights including, but not limited to, mandatory minimum wage, paid sick leave, and protections against unlawful termination, to over 50,000 domestic workers, many of whom have historically been excluded from state and federal labor laws.
Governor Signs Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights into Law in New Jersey
Mandelbaum | Mar 2024

Effective date:  7/1/24
Text of the measure.

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The most significant change this legislation makes for employers is to cover domestic workers for the first time under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) and New Jersey Wage and Hour Law (NJWHL).
New Jersey Enacts “Bill of Rights” for Domestic Workers
Littler | Mar 2024

The law requires that employers advise their domestic employees of their coverage (and protection) under the statute.  Importantly, it requires meal and rest breaks for these workers.  The employer must give a thirty minute lunch period after five hours of work; the worker must not do any work during this time and be able to leave the premises.  If these conditions are not met, the time becomes compensable.  The worker must also get a break of ten minutes for every four hours worked.  Those employees who are “live ins” must also receive an unpaid day off after six straight days of working.
New Law Addresses Wage Hour Issues For New Jersey Domestic Workers
Fox Rothschild | Mar 2024

Most notably, penalties for violations of the law will include fines issued by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which may range between $975 and $13,653 dollars, with half of those fines to be paid directly to the domestic workers.
Effective This Summer – Landslide of New Protections for Domestic Workers in New Jersey
Cole Schotz | Mar 2024