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Posted by New Jersey Senate Democrats on March 03, 2004 at 10:01:00:
FOR RELEASE: Immediate
March 2, 2004 CONTACT: Jason Butkowski
Tel: (609) 292-5215
Fax: (609) 984-1235 Cunningham Supports Pro-Family/Whistleblower Measures In Committee
Vice Chair of Senate Labor Committee Applauds Passage of Bills TRENTON - Senator Glenn D. Cunningham said today that he supports measures that
were approved by the Senate Labor Committee yesterday which would strengthen protections
for whistleblowers and provide additional aid to working families in the State. "Being able to work on measures such as those that we approved yesterday, which will
have an impact throughout the State, is very rewarding," said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson,
the Vice Chair of the Senate Labor Committee. "Because of our work, those who seek to right
injustice in the workplace will be notified of the protections granted to them by the State,
pregnant workers will be notified of their rights regarding temporary disability benefits, and
families who have lost a loved one won't have to worry about financial burdens thanks to
workers' compensation survivor benefits." The first bill, S-276, sponsored by Senators John Adler and Nia Gill, would require
employers to give an annual written notice to employees of their rights under the "Conscientious
Employee Protection Act," which is designed to foster whistleblowers from coming forward
without the threat of retaliatory action from their employers. "Under current law, these conscientious watchdogs are granted protections from
retaliation, but those protections do little good if employees are kept in the dark about them,"
said Senator Cunningham, "By keeping employees informed of their rights, we would be forging
a climate where employees are more likely to come forward when they feel that their company
is at fault." The second bill, S-488, sponsored by Senators Barbara Buono and Joseph Vitale, would
require that employers notify pregnant workers regarding their eligibility for temporary disability
benefits, The bill would require employers to prominently post notices as to whether or not the
employer participates in a temporary disability insurance (TDI) program under the "Temporary
Disability Benefits Law." The measure would also require employers to describe the TDI
benefits available and that pregnancy is regarded under law as a disability, entitling pregnant
employees to TDI benefits to the same extent as other disabled employees. "For many families on limited means, a pregnancy can be a curse rather than a blessing,"
said Senator Cunningham. "However, thanks to the State's Temporary Disability Benefits law,'
and other measures designed to aid working mothers, that doesn't have to be the case. These
programs, though, are woefully underutilized, and an aggressive education campaign is required
to inform many in New Jersey if their lawful entitlements." The final bill, 5-1187, would reinstate the cost of living increase for survivor's benefits
through workers' compensation to the surviving spouses of workers who died after 1980. The
cost of living increases had been in place prior to 1980, but were removed in worker
compensation legislation enacted in 1980. The bill would also extend the time period surviving
spouses could collect the benefit should they choose to remarry. "Widows and widowers should not be penalized because their spouses died after a certain
date, or because they chose to remarry," said Senator Cunningham. "This bill addresses a
disparity in the amount paid for survivors benefits, and puts everyone on a more even footing,
while making adjustments to recognize that the benefits received in 1980 don't go as far as they
used to in this inflated economy. These benefits are intended for helping the surviving family
members make ends meet after the loss of a bread winner in their homes, and these reforms will
allow the program to help those in need." All three bills now head to the full Senate for consideration. ###
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