New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has conditionally vetoed a bill to improve working conditions for 130,000 temporary workers, who fuel a quarter of the state’s warehouse industry.
Murphy recommended amendments to the measure on Thursday, including a $1 million appropriation to implement the bill and ensure “robust enforcement” of temp agencies that break the rules. He said he supported the bill’s effort to promote a fairer industry but said his changes would “bolster its administration and effectiveness.”
The bill would prohibit temp agencies from making certain deductions from workers’ paychecks, such as transportation costs to and from work sites, that cause earnings to drop below minimum wage. It would also require temp agencies to tell their workers where they will be sent for the day and how much they will be paid.
Additionally, the bill would make clear that workers have to be transported in vehicles to work sites that meet capacity limits and have one seatbelt per person. During the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gothamist reported that temp workers were crammed into vans, above vehicle capacity limits and despite public health recommendations to social distance. Gothamist also found some temp agencies were not certified by the state as required by law.
Workers who are taken to job sites but are sent home without work would also have to be compensated for at least four hours of work, under the bill. Temp agencies violating the rules could face daily $5,000 fines.
Murphy’s conditional veto doesn’t look to strike any of the protections outlined in the bill, but suggests technical changes to more clearly define the types of temporary workers who would be covered, such as those who labor in maintenance, construction, and food service and production.