Somerset County business among 9 businesses added to the Workplace Accountability in Labor List for wage, benefit or tax law violations

NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) in March added the names of 9 new businesses to its Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL), bringing the number of employers that have failed to address their outstanding liabilities for violations of wage, benefit or tax laws since NJDOL began publishing the list in 2023 to 129.

The 9 new businesses owe a total of $353,197.18 in unpaid wages, penalties, and fees. The 129 businesses posted to The WALL collectively owe $13.8 million – either directly to their workers or for unpaid taxes or contributions and penalties.

All are barred from public contracting with state, county, or local governments until they pay their liabilities in full, and all have had multiple opportunities to pay or appeal their assessment.

Following recent notices warning delinquent businesses they were about to be posted on The WALL, the Department recovered more than $150,000 from several entities, including outstanding wages, as well as contributions, penalties, and interest owed to the Unemployment Compensation Fund and State Disability Benefits Fund.

The WALL is a powerful enforcement tool that enables the department to publicly name companies that shortchange their workers and skip required contributions to programs such as unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation. The companies on the list have failed to resolve their outstanding fines and fees with NJDOL and Treasury.

The initiative was established through bipartisan action (S-4226) in 2020 as part of an effort to combat worker misclassification and exploitation. It gives NJDOL power to protect fair-minded businesses across the state from employers that undercut their workers to gain a competitive edge.

Posting on The WALL is separate from – and may be in addition to – other accountability measures, such as public contractor debarment and business license suspension or revocation. State, county, municipal and school procurement officers must cross-reference The WALL before awarding public contracts, as they do with the debarment list.

Businesses receive letters warning that their company’s name will be posted to The WALL unless they remedy their outstanding liabilities; they are given 20 days from when they receive the notice to pay in full or challenge their placement on The WALL.

The inaugural posting of bad actors went live in September 2023. Additional businesses with outstanding violations are added monthly.

The WALL can be viewed or downloaded here.

Businesses added to The WALL on March 5, 2024, are: