If approved by State Assembly, bill heads to Governor Murphy’s desk for signature

Trenton, NJ – Today, the New Jersey State Assembly will vote on the Guaranteed Severance Pay Bill (A5145), a first-of-its-kind legislation in the country that will protect working families from sudden financial crisis when a corporation goes bankrupt and eliminates jobs through mass-layoffs.

New Jersey would become the first state to mandate that employers provide one week of severance pay for each year of service for their workers when more than 50 employees (whether part-time or full-time) are laid off. Currently, no other state holds employers accountable in this way.

The Guaranteed Severance Pay Bill advanced after New Jersey working people and leaders with Make the Road New Jersey and United for Respect pledged to hold Wall Street billionaires accountable for leaving thousands of families jobless after a wave of bankruptcies in 2018 and 2019.

A5145’s companion bill, S3170, was approved by the State Senate in December.

WHAT: Guaranteed Severance Pay Bill will be voted on by the State Assembly; after Senate concurrence, it will advance to Governor Phil Murphy’s desk within 30 days.

WHEN: Monday, January 13, 2020 at 1:00 PM EST

WHERE: Assembly Floor; also live-streamed here.

Activists with Make the Road New Jersey and United for Respect who organized across New Jersey over the past few years and lobbied for the bill will be in the gallery available for photos and interviews.