New Jersey Senate Passes Legislation Affording Greater Protections to Temp Workers

On June 29, 2022, the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights passed the New Jersey Senate and Assembly and will be placed before Governor Phil Murphy for his anticipated approval.  The bill will increase transparency in New Jersey’s largely unregulated temp agency industry and will improve working conditions for the state’s roughly 130,000 temp workers. 

Specifically, the bill will require temp agencies to disclose to their workers how much they are getting paid, where they will work, and the temp agency’s name.  Temp agencies in New Jersey frequently avoid putting their company name on workers’ paychecks, operate without a state license, and operate out of buildings that are difficult to trace back to the company to avoid workers’ complaints. 

Additionally, the bill will no longer allow temp agencies to charge workers for costs related to transportation to and from worksites.  Temp agencies regularly use third-party transportation companies to shepherd workers to worksites and deduct transportation costs from workers’ paychecks, often resulting in temp workers receiving less than minimum wage. 

To that end, the bill mandates temp workers receive at least minimum wage and for any deductions from a worker’s paycheck to be itemized.  Lastly, the bill will penalize unregistered temp agencies $5,000 a day until they are registered with the state. 

Workers who believe their employer is improperly denying them minimum wages, or subjecting them to other workplace violations, should seek legal counsel to analyze their potential claims.