Morris County

Dedicated Advocacy for Employees in Morris County

Morris County was the sixth-wealthiest county in the country in 2000, and it has the third-highest median household income in the country. Thirty-three Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Morris County. These companies include AT&T, ExxonMobil, Palmolive, Pfizer, Bayer, and Novartis. Employers in Morris County must comply with federal and state anti-discrimination laws. If you are a victim of employment discrimination, you should explore your options with a Morris County employment lawyer. Phillips & Associates is ready to fight for your rights.

Rights of Employees

Employers must abide by a broad range of employment laws, including laws that cover minimum wage, overtime, the right to organize, and civil rights in the workplace. Among the laws that employers need to follow is the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), which provides protection against discrimination to members of many different groups. Some employers also need to abide by federal laws, which prohibit discrimination against employees of mid-size or larger companies . Federal laws include the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The former prohibits age discrimination. The latter prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and sex/gender, as well as sexual harassment.

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) prohibits employers from engaging in discrimination regarding many types of employment actions, including job advertisements, recruitment, interviews, hiring, pay, promotions, layoffs, terminations, and any other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. An employment attorney can advocate for Morris County employees who have suffered from violations of this law. Discrimination under the law occurs when employment actions are based on an employee’s membership in a protected class. Protected classes under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination include color, race, creed, religion, pregnancy, gender, age, ancestry, nationality, sexual harassment, marital status, domestic partnership status, civil union status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military service, and atypical hereditary cellular or blood traits. The law prohibits intentional discrimination based on any of these characteristics.

However, even a seemingly neutral business practice or policy can be deemed unlawful if the practice or policy has an adverse impact on a protected class as a whole. An employer may argue that the impact is legal because the employment practice or policy satisfies a valid business need that cannot be fulfilled through non-discriminatory means. However, the employer would be able to use this defense only if it could show that the policy is related to the job and consistent with business necessity, and there were no effective alternative practices that could be used for the same purpose.

Sexual Harassment

Our Morris County employment attorneys frequently handle claims based on workplace harassment as well. Most people think of sexual harassment when they think of workplace harassment, but other types of harassment, such as race or nationality harassment are also prohibited. Sexual harassment can include any unwelcome sexual advances, sexually inappropriate jokes, texts, videos, requests for sexual favors, groping, touching, and other conduct or speech that is sexual in nature. Quid pro quo sexual harassment happens if an employer tries to make your submission to sexual requests a condition of getting or keeping a job. Only authority figures in the workplace, such as a supervisor or manager, can perpetrate quid pro quo harassment. Hostile work environment harassment occurs when an employee is subjected to the sexually offensive behavior described above.

Explore Your Options with a Knowledgeable Employment Lawyer

Unfortunately, employers do not always abide by the federal and state laws that govern their business operations. It can be both emotionally painful and financially harmful to be subjected to discrimination or harassed based on an aspect of your identity that is outside your control. If you believe that you were a victim of discrimination or harassment in Morris County, our dedicated employment lawyers can fight for your rights. Our firm can be reached at (866) 229-9441 or through our online form.

Managing Partner in New Jersey - Bryan Arce