Cryan Will Work to Pass Governor’s Recommendations to the ‘Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights’

Trenton – Senator Joe Cryan said he’ll work to pass Governor Murphy’s recommended revisions to his landmark legislation to extend basic employee protections to temporary workers so the revised bill is approved by the Legislature and returned to the Governor.

The bill, S-511/A-1474, entitled “The Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights,” would provide protections for temporary workers and set standards for the temp agencies that employ them. Previously approved by the Senate (21-15) and Assembly(46-29), the Governor asked for revisions to the bill in a conditional veto issued today.

“The Governor shares the same goal of providing basic rights to temporary workers. We will work together to get this done,” said Senator Cryan (D-Union). “This is an invisible workforce that has been left vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment. They have been cheated out of their wages, denied benefits, forced to work in unsafe conditions and charged unjustified fees by employers. The Bill of Rights will help correct these wrongs of the past so these workers are treated fairly.”

The growing temp industry in New Jersey includes at least 127,000 people working for an estimated 100 licensed temp agencies, with an unknown number of unlicensed agencies operating outside the oversight of regulators. Most are low-wage workers, often people of color or first-generation Americans working hard to support themselves and their families, Senator Cryan said. They include “perma-temps,” who are repeatedly hired by the same employer but denied the rights and benefits most full-time workers receive.

The Governor’s statement: Copy of Statement