Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law earlier this year that increased protections for thousands of temporary workers in the state. Those workers had long complained about unsafe working conditions and minimal pay. But the law has been tied up in the courts after the state’s business and industry associations and employment agencies filed a lawsuit in May, calling the law unconstitutional.
In a ruling this week, a federal judge sided with the state, allowing the law’s new mandates regarding pay to go into effect starting Aug. 5. Staffing agencies will also be required to pay temp workers the same average rate and equal benefits as permanent employees, and the agencies will not be allowed to make pay deductions for meals and other expenses that would reduce a temp worker’s pay to below minimum wage. Parts of the legislation are already in effect.
