On January 27, Senator Loretta Weinberg introduced S-921 (Weinberg/Gill), otherwise known as the "New Jersey Fair Workweek Act." The stated goal of this legislation is to give employees a more predictable and stable work schedule. However, if enacted this bill would remove an employer’s ability to create a staffing schedule that fits their business’s needs, while greatly restricting an employee’s ability to create an accommodating schedule by switching swifts or picking up extra hours, should they so desire. CCSNJ created a coalition of members who are concerned about the potential impact of this legislation. 

If passed, S-921 (Weinberg/Gill) requires any employer that employs 250 or more employees to provide notice of an employee’s schedule at least 14 days prior to the start of the work period. It also:

Requires the employer to provide a good-faith estimate of the employee’s projected schedule, although the term “good-faith” is loosely defined in the bill and up to subjective interpretation;

Requires an employer to pay an employee nine times the employee’s regular wage, or the minimum wage, whichever is larger, in retention pay for every 7-day work period;

Requires time-and-a-half for shifts worked by the employee within 12 hours of their most recent shift, and;

Imposes overburdensome administrative requirements and penalties for noncompliance by the employer.

However, to date the bill – which was initially slated to have a hearing in March - has not been considered.