NJDOL Adds More Business Violators to the WALL
Outstanding Wage, Benefit and Tax Law Violations to its Workplace Accountability in Labor List (AKA ‘The WALL’)
TRENTON –
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) in December added the names of six businesses to its Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL), bringing to 223 the number of employers that have failed to address their outstanding liabilities for violations of wage, benefit or tax laws. 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.
The six businesses owe a total of $262,960 in unpaid wages, fines, and penalties to workers and the state. Currently in the second year of the WALL initiative, there are now 223 businesses posted to The WALL, which collectively owe $23 million – either directly to their workers or to the state for unpaid taxes or contributions.
No businesses were removed from The WALL in November. To date, NJDOL has recovered $558,216.38 in outstanding liabilities from businesses that have been posted to The WALL or have been warned their business would be added to The WALL if they did not resolve their outstanding liabilities.
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 the date they receive notice to pay in full or challenge their pending placement on The WALL.
The WALL went live in September 2023. Additional businesses with outstanding violations are added monthly.
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.
Businesses added to The WALL in December are:
