Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Monday legislation commonly referred to as the “Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights.”
Bill A-1474/S-511 was sent to the Murphy’s desk on Thursday after the Legislature finally concurred with changes recommended by the governor’s conditional veto last September. On multiple prior occasions, the measure, opposed by NJBIA, did not have the votes to advance.
In a statement, Murphy said the legislation significantly expands the rights and protections afforded to temporary workers.
“Our temporary workers, regardless of their race or status, are key contributors to the workforce in our state,” said Governor Murphy. “Signing the Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights establishes necessary guidelines for temporary help service firms and third-party clients to ensure that these workers are afforded basic protections and treated with the dignity they deserve.”
In a statement last week, NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Alexis Bailey said NJBIA appreciated the intent of the bill, but that at least “one key provision of it would so greatly drive up the cost of utilizing temp agencies, that it would jeopardize legitimate temp agencies, harm third-party businesses that use them, and, as a result, provide less opportunity for those seeking temporary employment.”
“The bill requires temporary workers to be paid the average compensation rate and benefits or the cash equivalent of the average cost of benefits paid to their employee counterparts,” Bailey said.
“As a result of this, some temporary workers will be making more than permanent employees whose wages are determined by seniority and experience. There are also many logistical burdens to consider as temp agencies contract with multiple businesses that offer different benefits packages. All of this will serve to make it extremely difficult to provide jobs for temporary workers,” Bailey said.
