The New Law Will Provide Equal Pay Opportunities for State’s 650,000 Staffing Workers While Creating Innovative Enforcement Mechanisms at No Cost to Taxpayers.
Springfield, IL – Labor groups are celebrating the passage of the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act (TWFSA), House Bill 2862, out of both chambers of the IL General Assembly on the last day of the regularly scheduled session. The TWFSA is a landmark law that updates the state’s Illinois Day and Temporary Services Act. Key provisions of the law include:
Discouraging the practice of “perma-temping” by guaranteeing equal pay for equal work for temps who are assigned to the same job for more than 90 calendar days
Keeping workers safe by improving training and workplace safety standards for temps
Ensuring that all temp workers have the right to refuse a strikebreaking assignment without being retaliated against
Increasing funding for enforcement through increased fees and increased fines for violators of the act
Expanding enforcement through an innovative enforcement mechanism that will allow for even enforcement of the law across the entire state of IL for the first time
The equal pay provision in the law follows the passage of a similar provision in New Jersey under the recently passed “Temp Worker Bill of Rights”. This is expected to have an immediate and significant material impact on temp workers who earn on average $4 less per hour than direct hire employees doing the same work.
“The passage of this bill would not have been possible without the leadership of sponsors Representative Edgar Gonzalez (IL-23) and Senator Robert Peters (IL-13) as well as the many advocacy and labor organizations who stood with us to win these critical improvements for temp workers,” said Jose Frausto, Executive Director of the Chicago Workers Collaborative. “We especially appreciate the partnership of the Office of the Attorney General, the IL Department of Labor, and the IL AFL-CIO as well as the good faith participation in negotiations by the Staffing Services Association of IL and the American Staffing Association to make this a great bill for both workers and industry.”
"Latino and Black workers are the backbone of our economy, but they are also the most vulnerable when it comes to workplace abuse and exploitation," said Rep Edgar Gonzalez, the bill’s lead house sponsor "Workers can’t wait for fair pay and safe workplaces, that’s why I’m pleased to have been joined by my colleagues in passing the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act today, delivering the safety and fairness these workers deserve.”
"Passing the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act is critical to addressing the unacceptable and rising workplace difficulties Black and Brown workers face," said Senator Robert Peters, the bill's Senate sponsor. "Illinois is a pro-labor state that takes workplace safety and equitable pay seriously. We have proven that again today by passing this bill that not only sets the bar nationally for temp worker protections, but provides regulators with the tools they need to ensure industry-wide compliance with the law.”
“We are thrilled by the passage of this important piece of legislation,” remarked IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea. “Illinois is the beating heart of the American labor movement in the 21st century, and we will not rest until all workers in our state are paid a fair wage and kept safe at work. Temp Workers are among the most vulnerable workers in Illinois and it’s up to all of us to stand in solidarity with them as they fight for the same fundamental job protections and dignity that all workers deserve.”
Contact:
Andrew Herrera, Herrera Strategy Group
847.977.3645 // andrew@herrerastrategy.com
Alyssa Goodstein, IL AFL-CIO
217.891.6512 // agoodstein@ilafl-cio.org
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The Temp Worker Fairness & Safety Act was a joint legislative initiative by the Chicago Workers Collaborative and Temp Worker Justice. The bill was also supported by the following organizations: Warehouse Workers for Justice; National Black Workers Center; Workers Center for Racial Justice; Centro de Trabajadores Unidos; Chicago Federation of Labor; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Asian Americans Advancing Justice; National Legal Advocacy Network; National Employment Law Project; IL Trial Lawyers Association; Raise the Floor; Citizen Action IL; DePaul University Labor Education Center; Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health; TechEquity Collaborative; United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; HANA Center; IL Unidos; IL AFL-CIO; SEIU-HCII; AFSCME 31; IUOE 150