{"id":36028,"date":"2024-01-19T13:03:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T18:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/household\/?p=36028"},"modified":"2024-04-04T21:53:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T01:53:38","slug":"new-jersey-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/household\/new-jersey-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Household Employees Gain Protections with Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"new-jersey-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights\"

The New Jersey Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, provides a range of rights and employment protections for household employees including wage protections, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rights, health and safety protections, and privacy rights.<\/p><\/div>\n

The New Jersey Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, provides a range of rights and employment protections for household employees including wage protections, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rights, health and safety protections, and privacy rights. It will take effect in July 2024.<\/p>\n

Read the New Jersey Domestic Workers\u2019 Bill of Rights Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the new domestic worker protection requirements for employers.<\/p>\n

Work agreements<\/h2>\n

Families that employ household help will be required to enter into a written agreement or nanny contract<\/a> with any employee who works more than five hours a month. The contract will need to document work hours, wages, and duties.<\/p>\n

The law also expands on the prohibition of non-disclosure agreements for domestic workers to include non-compete agreements, which generally bar workers from seeking similar work from a different employer for a period of years.<\/p>\n

Meal and rest breaks<\/h2>\n

Household employees are now required to receive:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • At least one paid 10-minute break for every four consecutive hours of work<\/li>\n
  • A 30-minute lunch break unless the nature of the work precludes such breaks<\/li>\n
  • One day off after six days of work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Wage protections<\/h2>\n

    While most household employees are already entitled to minimum wage and overtime, this new law removes the exclusion for part-time babysitters working in the employer\u2019s home. New Jersey\u2019s minimum wage is $13.93\/hour for employers with fewer than six workers. For those above that threshold, it\u2019s $15.13\/hour.<\/p>\n

    Termination notice<\/h2>\n

    Employers will need to give at least two weeks\u2019 notice before terminating a household employee and four weeks for a live-in employee, with exceptions for employee misconduct.<\/p>\n

    Privacy rights<\/h2>\n

    Under the new law, household employers are barred from keeping copies of a worker\u2019s personal documents and observing or recording them in bathrooms, their living quarters, and while dressing.<\/p>\n

    Anti-harassment and retaliation protections<\/h2>\n

    Household employees will now receive protection against threats due to their immigration status, and retaliation from an employer when they assert their rights.<\/p>\n

    Notice of rights<\/h2>\n

    The law also establishes penalties for violations of its provisions and requires household employers to provide a notice to their employees about their rights.<\/p>\n

    Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Board<\/h2>\n

    New Jersey will form the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Board to track the bill\u2019s implementation and make policy recommendations.<\/p>\n

    Domestic worker protections in the U.S.<\/h2>\n

    New Jersey becomes the 11th<\/sup> state with a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The cities of Chicago; Philadelphia; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. have also enacted domestic worker protections.<\/p>\n

    Download The Complete Guide to Household Payroll<\/h2>\n

    Get our complimentary guide and learn everything you need to know about paying your employees legally and filing your taxes the right way.
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