Official Site of The State of New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 12, 2023

TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has publicly posted the names of 36 companies that failed to address their outstanding liabilities for violations of wage, benefit or tax laws to its Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL).

The WALL is a powerful new 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.

In July, NJDOL sent letters to each of these businesses warning that their company’s name would be posted to The WALL unless they remedied their outstanding liabilities; they were given 20 days from when they received the notice to pay in full or challenge their placement on The WALL.

Thanks to bipartisan action, (P.L.2019, c.366) The WALL gives NJDOL new power to protect fair-minded businesses across the state from employers who undercut their workers to gain a competitive edge. Any business whose name appears on The WALL is barred from public contracting with state, county, or local governments, until they pay their liabilities in full.

“It’s very simple — complying with our wage, benefit and tax laws is not optional,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “We are going to name and shame the bad actors who are avoiding their responsibilities, not only to the state, but to their employees, as well.”

"Our Office of Strategic Enforcement and Compliance does not take the flouting of our laws lightly," said Director Peter Basso. "The WALL is a key tool in our strategic enforcement toolbox for ensuring employers comply with New Jersey's state, benefit and tax laws."

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.

The inaugural posting of bad actors went live last week. Additional businesses will receive warning notices this fall to pay up or have their company’s name added to The WALL.

The WALL can be viewed or downloaded here.

Questions about the WALL should be directed to OSECInquiries@dol.nj.gov.

For a comprehensive list of questions and answers about The WALL, visit nj.gov/labor/wall.

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