Trenton, NJ – On Thursday December 15th, the New Jersey Assembly overwhelmingly passed Assembly Bill 4768, approving an amendment to implement the state’s groundbreaking 2020 Guaranteed Severance Pay Law that provides support and protections to local workers facing mass layoffs. The bill will head to the Senate floor for a final vote on Monday.

Former retail workers who are leaders with worker’s rights organization United for Respect have led the charge in publicly calling on elected officials to support the Guaranteed Severance Pay Law, which would hold businesses accountable for ensuring workers do not experience an abrupt and often devastating loss in income following mass layoffs.

New Jersey was the first state in the country to codify guaranteed severance pay protections for workers. The bill, which Governor Phil Murphy signed into law in January 2020, was scheduled to take effect in July 2020. Enforcement has since been delayed due to Covid-19 emergency protocols. As a result, more than 28,000 New Jersey workers who lost their jobs during that time period were denied the financial relief they could have received under the law.