TODAY AT THE STATE HOUSE

Ten Pro-Labor Bills Advance As Legislature Recesses for the Summer

State Budget Passes Both Houses, Includes Language Harmful to State Workers’ Health Insurance Coverage

During a lengthy legislative session, several pro-labor bills advanced and the FY 2026 state budget was sent to the Governor.

S-3302 “Captive Audience”(Lagana / Gopal / Tiver / Moriarty / Singleton / Diegnan) & A-4429 (Verrelli / DeAngelo / Barranco):

This bi-partisan legislation seeks to ensure that workers are not forced to attend meetings where the employer is discussing or urging their employees to take a position on sensitive political issues, including labor issues. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 38-1-1 and subsequently then passed the Assembly on concurrence by a vote of 66-5-9. The bill is now on the Governor’s desk, and we respectfully ask for his support by signing it into law.

S-1054 (Greenstein / Gopal +6) / A-1682 (Atkins / Carter / Sampson +16): Requires instruction on the Labor Movement in Social Studies for grades 6-12. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 35-3 and the Assembly by a vote of 76-3. The bill is now on the Governor’s desk, and we respectfully ask for his support by signing it into law.

A-4380 (Coughlin / DiMaio / Sampson): The “Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act” increases wages for mechanics represented by the Machinists Union (IAMAW).  The bill passed both houses unanimously. The bill is now on the Governor’s desk, and we respectfully ask for his support by signing it into law.

State Budget: The New Jersey State AFL-CIO and several state worker public employee unions fought to stop a provision in the state budget that $100 million in cost reductions for the state be found in the State Health Benefits Plan.  This will negatively impact our members and could result in significant cost shifting from the state on to state workers.  While we are disappointed this provision was included in the budget, we continue to urge the Governor and the Legislature to work with labor representatives to identify this amount of  savings through reforms and cost saving measures.

A-4182 (DeAngelo / Atkins / Quijano): The bill, supported by the UFCW, establishes rules and enforcement language for organizing cannabis workers in the agriculture sector. The bill passed by a vote of 60-19.

S-2373 (Beach / Greenstein): The bill, supported by the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ-IAFF), provides protection for first responders diagnosed with PTSD. The bill passed the Senate unanimously.

S-2961 (Burzichelli / Wimberly / Reynolds-Jackson): The bill, supported by the Carpenters Union, establishes minimum qualifications for workers on public works projects. It passed the Assembly by a vote of 70-6-2.

S-3041 (Mukerji / Lagana): The bill, supported by the Carpenters Union, concerns the failure to pay wages on public works contracts. It passed the Assembly by a vote of 70-3-5.

S-4402 (Greenstein / Scutari) & A-5381 (Kennedy / Atkins): The bill, supported by the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ-IAFF), extends the time frame to provide an accidental disability retirement allowance for 911 rescuers. The bill passed both houses unanimously and is on the Governor’s desk.

A-5199 (Donlon / Ramirez / Drulis): The bill, supported by the AAUP-BHSNJ, requires residents and fellow physicians that work for Rutgers to be able to enroll in the State Health Benefits program on the first day of work. It passed both houses unanimously.

A-5195 (Miller / Schaer): The bill, supported by the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ-IAFF), stops the sale of certain types of firefighting equipment that contain harmful substances that threaten the health of firefighters.  The bill passed 70-6-4.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO thanks Speaker Coughlin and Senate President Scutari for posting these bills, the sponsors for their leadership, and the legislators that voted in support of organized labor’s position on the legislation.  We also thank all the affiliated unions that advocated for their passage on behalf of their members.

In Unity,