These laws are enforced by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL). NJDOL has set up a website on NJDOL benefits and coronavirus (COVID-19). Please click HERE for more information. If, after the LAD, there are no reasonable precautions your employer can provide to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to its employees and customers, your employer may enforce its policy of excluding unvaccinated employees from the physical workplace, even if you are not vaccinated due to a disability. However, this does not mean that your employer can automatically fire you if you are unable to get vaccinated, as the employer may be prevented from doing so by other laws, regulations or guidelines. New Jersey has one of the most comprehensive laws in the country on temporary disability, family leave, and earned sick leave, covering all types of workers — full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal. The CDC issued “simplified” guidance on COVID-19 safety measures on August 11, 2022. The safety measures recommended by the CDC are not legally binding, but New Jersey employers and workers are encouraged to follow them. A landlord who provides COVID-19-related rent relief to tenants, such as rent suspension or reduction, cannot treat tenants differently based on race, national origin, legitimate source of income, disability or other characteristics protected by the. This is the case whether the relief is provided voluntarily or because the landlord is legally required to do so. In addition, any creditor who offers COVID-19-related assistance to a homeowner (whether voluntary or because required by law), such as mortgage leniency, cannot discriminate between homeowners on the basis of race, national origin, legal source of income, disability, or other characteristics protected by the LAD. Please click HERE for more information on COVID-19 housing and rent assistance and mortgage relief.
You can`t take NJFLA leave based on your own COVID-19 diagnosis, but you can take advantage of accumulated sick leave. Earned sick leave is enforced by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL). NJDOL has set up a website on COVID-19. Please click HERE for more information. Your employer may also be required to grant leave for your own disability if it does not cause undue hardship. An employee may apply to one of the following wage replacement benefit programs, depending on their situation and eligibility: However, if you have already exhausted your 12-week NJFLA vacation, including spring break this year, to care for your child while your child`s school or daycare was closed, your employer is not required to grant additional FLA leave. Yes, facilities may impose mask requirements to meet public health requirements and protect their employees and other customers. A retail store that can provide reasonable accommodations to customers with disabilities, such as: a grocery store or pharmacy, but cannot refuse to serve you if you cannot wear a mask due to a disability. Instead, they may deny you entry without a mask and arrange another way to serve you, such as pickup or delivery of goods. In some situations, orders may require retail establishments to require masks to be mandatory. For example, if a person normally works 40 hours per week, they cannot work more than 32 hours per week to qualify.
If the person earns 20% or less of their weekly benefit rate, they receive the full weekly benefit. With an income of more than 20%, the weekly benefit would be reduced. Vaccination is still the primary measure recommended by the CDC. In addition, the agency has relaxed many of its recommendations: – People who may have been exposed to the coronavirus will no longer be quarantined. Instead, they should “wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on Day 5.” People who have tested positive for coronavirus still need to self-isolate for at least five days. You must wear a mask until at least the tenth day and avoid contact with “people who are more likely to contract COVID-19” until the eleventh day. New Jersey`s earned sick leave and temporary disability benefits can help many workers follow these recommendations. May be entitled to extended unemployment benefits by the State if unemployment remains high in the State. To learn more, click here. If a family member or family match has COVID-19 or is isolated or quarantined for suspected exposure to COVID-19 and you are eligible for NJFLA coverage, you can take job-protected leave to care for them. The same applies if your child`s school or childcare facility is closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some grocery stores and other retailers have policies in place that only allow older customers to shop at certain times.
For example, a store may limit the first hour of its daily operations to customers over the age of 65, while serving customers of all ages for the remainder of office hours. These guidelines are consistent with Governor Murphy`s Executive Order, which requires retail establishments to reserve certain hours of access exclusively for high-risk individuals whenever possible. These guidelines would not violate the LAD because age is not a protected characteristic in public places. Cinco hechos importantes para los trabajadores de New Jersey. An employer can, in general, question the sincerity of an employee`s religious beliefs, practices or customs only if the employer has an objective basis for questioning the religious nature or sincerity of a particular belief, practice or observation. In this case, the employer may conduct a limited investigation into the facts and circumstances in support of the employee`s claim. If you are unable to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine due to a disability and the risk of COVID-19 transmission can be mitigated by asking your employer to provide you with adequate accommodation, your employer must do so, unless it would place an unreasonable burden on their operations. Reasonable precautions may include allowing you to continue working remotely or working in a manner that reduces or eliminates the risk of harm to other employees or the public. Reasonable precautions may also include providing personal protective equipment that adequately reduces your risk of transmission and exposure to COVID-19. Your employer should conduct a flexible and interactive process with you to determine if adequate accommodation is available and must conduct an individual assessment based on your specific job obligations and the limitations of assessing whether to provide specific accommodation. If a person is unable to work because they are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine or recovering from side effects, they: To qualify for NJFLA coverage, you must work for a state or local government agency, or for a company or organization with 30 or more employees worldwide. In addition, you must have been employed by the agency or company for at least 1 year and have worked at least 1,000 hours in the last 12 months.
Please click HERE to learn more about the NJFLA. However, if you need to care for a child or other family member who has a serious medical condition that puts them at a higher risk of developing a serious illness if they contract COVID-19, you may be able to take leave from NJFLA to care for that family member`s serious health. If a person has tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19 and is unable to work, they can: In addition, public places may not discriminate against people who wear cloth masks or face coverings on the basis of race or any other protected characteristic, such as racial stereotypes. For example, it would be contrary to the if a public accommodation called the police, harassed or followed a Black man because he was wearing a mask or face covering, or because of the type of mask or face covering he was wearing.