Official Site of The State of New Jersey

For the purposes of this act: 

“Call center” means a facility or other operation whereby workers receive telephone calls or emails or other electronic communication for the purpose of providing customer assistance or other service. 

“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. 

“Employer” means any business entity that employs 50 or more full-time workers or 50 or more workers that in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, excluding overtime hours, for the purpose of staffing a call center. 

a. Any employer with a call center within the State of New Jersey shall maintain a staffing level capable of handling no less than 65 percent of customer volume of telephone calls, emails, or other electronic communications, when measured against the previous six-month average volume of those operations, originating in the State of New Jersey or an account with a service address within the State of New Jersey. If the staffing level of a call center falls below the amount required pursuant to this subsection, the employer shall notify the commissioner immediately. 

b. Any employer that relocates a call center, or transfers one or more facilities or operating units comprising at least 20 percent of a call center’s total operating volume of telephone calls, emails, or other electronic communications when measured against the previous 12-month average volume of those operations, from the State of New Jersey to one or more foreign countries shall notify the commissioner at least 90 days prior to the relocation or transfer of operations. 

c. Any employer that violates the notification requirement pursuant to this section shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $7,500 for each day the employer fails to provide the notification, collectible by the commissioner in a summary proceeding pursuant to the “Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999,” P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The commissioner shall have the authority to waive this penalty. 

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, an employer that is added to the list compiled and maintained by the commissioner pursuant to section 4 [C.34:21-11] of this act shall be ineligible to receive any direct or indirect State grant, guaranteed loan, tax benefit, and any other financial support for the 36 months following the date upon which the employer is added to the list, except that the employer’s inclusion on the list shall not prevent the employer from receiving any grant to provide training or other employment assistance to individuals who are members of specific groups selected as being in particular need of training or other employment assistance, including, but not limited to, employees of the employer whose employment is being affected due to the transfer or relocation of the employer’s facility or operating unit, veterans, minority groups and women. 

As used in this section, “tax benefit” means a tax advantage awarded by a State governmental entity that has the effect of reducing a taxpayer’s liability under the “New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act,” N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq., or section 5 of P.L.1945, c.162 (C.54:10A-5).