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According to FleetOwner, an employee misclassification bill that would reclassify both drayage-truck operators and parcel-delivery truckers as employees—rather than independent contractors—was passed by New Jersey’s General Assembly and the State Senate last week and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. Christened the “Truck Operator Independent Contractor Act,” the bill was supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as well as other pro-labor groups. The final say on the bill now is up to Governor Chris Christie, who is markedly pro-business.
“The New Jersey legislation is another bald attempt by union supporters to increase the pool of workers eligible to be organized at the expense of independent business entrepreneurs who have freely chosen to pursue their business objectives and exercise their business judgment outside of the control that defines a traditional employer-employee relationship and as such we urge Gov. Christie to veto the bill,” American Trucking Associations spokesman Sean McNally, told FleetOwner.
The Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) and the New Jersey Motor Truck Association (NJMTA) are also against the measure. According to an OOIDA executive, “The changes would run off trucks and discourage them from doing business in the state.”
Learn more about the Department of Labor’s Misclassification Initiative here.
