Tuesday, February 12, 2019
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The Westin Mount Laurel

Attorneys from Archer's Labor & Employment Law practice will outline the top human resources issues facing employers, including:
  • Latest Update on Wage and Hour Laws
  • Top 10 Employee Handbook Issues
  • Anatomy of a Workplace Harassment Investigation
  • Paid Leave - Laws and Regulations


Congressional Action Committee featuring Congressman Donald Norcross
Monday, February 11, 2019
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Woodcrest Country Club, Cherry Hill
 

State Affairs Committee featuring
Senator Fred Madden, Jr.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Adelphia Restaurant, Deptford
   

Rutgers Business Outlook
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
8:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Crowne Plaza, Cherry Hill
   
VIP Reception at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce "Walk to Washington" & Congressional Dinner
Thursday, February 28, 2019
4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 
Washington DC
  

New Jersey Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act Only Applies to Conduct Occurring on or after July 1, 2018

Associate,  Archer Greiner, P.C.
On January 15, 2019, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey held that the New Jersey Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act ("NJEPA") only applies prospectively to conduct that is alleged to have occurred on or after its effective date - July 1, 2018. The State's Legislature passed the NJEPA last spring, and Governor Murphy signed the legislation into law on April 24, 2018. The NJEPA amended the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination ("NJLAD") to prohibit unequal pay for "substantially similar" work.

In  Perrotto v. Morgan Advanced Materials, Defendant Morgan Advanced Materials terminated Plaintiff Perrotto on April 5, 2018. Perrotto alleged that this termination was retaliation for her complaints, as a Controller/Human Resources, that male employees were paid more than female employees for substantially similar work. These complaints and her termination all occurred before the NJEPA was signed into law and before the NJEPA's effective date - July 1, 2018. The District Court, faced with a motion to dismiss the counts under the NJEPA for this exact reason, ultimately dismissed the NJEPA claims with prejudice, holding that the NJEPA did not apply retroactively to conduct occurring before its effective date.

The Court reasoned that there are three circumstances that would permit retroactive application of legislation: (1) clear legislative intent to have retroactive application, (2) the amendment is curative of pre-existing law, and (3) the parties' expectations warrant such application.Here, the Court found that the Legislature did not intend for retroactive application as evidenced by its clear, plain language setting an effective date months after the date upon which the Legislature passed the law itself. Further, while the NJEPA amends the NJLAD, it was not a curative amendment in that the amendment was not to remedy a perceived imperfection or misapplication of the NJLAD. The protections in the NJEPA are an expansion of those in the NJLAD - not a correction of them. Finally, the Court determined that the parties did not have any expectations that would warrant retroactive application.

If you have questions about whether your compensation practices or policies are compliant with the New Jersey Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act or whether any of your employment practices or policies are compliant with the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, please contact Ashley LeBrun, Esq. or any member of Archer & Greiner's Labor and Employment Group in Haddonfield, N.J., at (856) 795-2121, in Princeton, N.J., at (609) 580-3700, in Hackensack, N.J., at (201) 342-6000, in Philadelphia, Pa., at (215) 963-3300, or in Wilmington, Del., at (302) 777-4350.


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An audience of potential customers awaits you at the Grand Theatre in Williamstown where close to 12,000 patrons from Southern New Jersey and the Delaware Valley enjoy entertaining productions by the award-winning Road Company each year. Your business can advertise in our program books at low rates ranging from a quarter-page at $145 to a full page at $300. Don't delay, space is limited!
 
Contact Roy Wilbur at  [email protected] for details on this great marketing opportunity.
$15 Minimum Wage Signed  Into Law Today
On February 1, the New Jersey General Assembly and Senate both passed a measure that will increase the state's minimum wage rate to $15 per hour by 2024. Shortly after the final vote, Governor Murphy announced that he would sign the bill into law Monday, February 4.  Read more >>



Paid Family Leave Expansion Moves to Governor Murphy
On February 1, both Houses of the Legislature passed S-2528 (Sweeney/Diegnan), which would greatly expand New Jersey's current paid family leave law. The CCSNJ opposed this measure.  Read more >>

Atlantic City Rail Line to Remain Closed Until the Spring
Recently, New Jersey Transit announced the Atlantic City Rail Line (ACL), which runs from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station through South Jersey ending in Atlantic City, would remain closed several more months. ACL is the  only  rail line New Jersey Transit operates in the southern part of the state and the  only  rail line that runs to Atlantic City.  Read more >>

Bill to Ban Confidential Settlement  Agreements in the 
Workplace Passes
On February 1, the Assembly Appropriations Committee also passed  S-121 (Weinberg)  /  A-1242 (McKeon/Bramnick) , which would bar provisions in employment contracts that waive certain rights, remedies and agreements that conceal details relating to discrimination claims. The CCSNJ opposed this bill, which passed the Committee unanimously. 

CCSNJ Encourages Members to Endorse "Path to Progress" Report
Last August, the   New Jersey Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup  issued a report, "Path to Progress."  Click here to view the report The Workgroup was convened by Senate President Sweeney in January of 2018 to address the State's continued fiscal crisis.  Read more >>

CCSNJ's Annual Legislative Reception Honors SJ Delegation
On January 23, CCSNJ members attended the Annual Legislative Reception  honoring NJ Senate President Sweeney, Asm. Majority Leader Greenwald and members of the SJ Delegation.

Political Experts Discuss New Congressional Makeup
On January 30, William J. Palatucci, Esq., Special Counsel, Corporate, and Jason J. Redd, Esq., Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs, from Gibbons P.C. discussed the implications of the new Congressional makeup, including the hot-button issues that may result in gridlock and those areas where Congress may find common ground in today's political landscape.
NETWORK CONNECTION
LUNCH
NETWORK CONNECTION
LUNCH
 
NETWORK CONNECTION
BREAKFAST


February 7
11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
February 14
11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
February 21
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
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Eugene M. Principato
President
The Marketing Difference LLC
"The Power of Connections"
 
We sometimes get frustrated waiting for business to happen, especially when we spend a lot of time networking at the Chamber and other business organizations. It's often said that "patience is a virtue," and sometimes we just have to be patient for good things to happen. Let me give you a case in point. Our company has been a Chamber member for over 10 years, and during that time we've made a lot of connections with prospective customers and business associates. A few years ago, in a casual conversation at a Chamber event, one of our longtime business associates asked if we'd be a sub-contractor on a project they'd just landed with a new client in Pennsylvania. We agreed to help them, completed our piece of the marketing project, and ended up with a new customer relationship in a new industry! We'd built a relationship with this Chamber member over the years, and the connection paid off in the long run.


Premier offers fully serviced and virtual offices, along with meeting rooms, enabling businesses of any size to maximize productivity, profits and establish an immediate professional presence in Mt. Laurel, NJ and throughout the country.

Premier will honor a 25% OFF discount  on any of their offices and a 20% OFF discount for any virtual office
Investors Bank Appoints Christopher Warren SVP and Team Leader 
for Business Lending in Burlington and Camden County Markets
Investors Bank has appointed Christopher Warren to the position of senior vice president and team leader for the commercial banking team in the Burlington and Camden County markets. Warren will be located in the Mount Laurel office and report to Market Executive John T. Harrison.

Warren brings more than three decades of experience in the southern New Jersey market to Investors Bank. He delivered myriad services in commercial, middle market, and merchant banking, and has worked extensively with businesses, professional firms, and not-for-profit organizations.
 
To read the full article, click here.

You Built Your Business! We Will Help You Grow It!
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a program for small business owners that links learning to action.  Through the program, you will receive the tools and support to develop a customized growth plan that
will take your business to the next level. You will also gain practical skills in topics such as negotiation, marketing and employee management that you can immediately put into action.

Their program, designed by Babson College, the nation's top-ranked entrepreneurship school, is available
at no cost to selected applicants.


The  Healthcare Industry Forum on Energy Efficiency  on March 5th & 6th will explore the healthcare industry's unique energy opportunities and offer concrete tools to achieve substantial energy savings. 
 
Want to save a chunk of change on tickets? Register before Early Bird ends on February 5th and save $50 - $100 dollars per ticket!
 
This two-day event at the Penn Stater in State College, PA, kicks off with accredited workshops followed by a VIP dinner and keynote address from the Cleveland Clinic's Jon Utech. The second day features two keynote addresses, twelve breakout sessions, and an all-day exhibitor's hall. Be sure to  check out the website  for the full agenda and details about our sponsors and speakers.  Or just head straight to our registration page!

Heart-to-Heart will be hosting a workshop on Compassionate Communication on March 2-3, 2019 at Pendle Hill, Pennsylvania.

Based on the seminal work of Marshall Rosenberg, this two-day workshop provides participants with a grounding in an embodied, spirit-led practice of Nonviolent Communication. They will explore communication, expressing and receiving, as the basic flow of life. Rooted in this understanding of all communication as life expressing and receiving itself, compassion for ourselves and others grows.


At Assured Partners, we're not just in the insurance business. We're in the business of developing strong, lasting relationships.

 

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CONTACT US
220 Laurel Road, Suite 203, Voorhees, NJ 08043 |  P: 856.424.7776 |  F: 856.424.8180 |   www.chambersnj.com