Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Look Forward to Effect New Labor Laws Will have on Protecting Worker Rights in New Jersey

    (Edison)- The State of New Jersey has recently enacted new regulations that provide New Jersey workers the protections of General Contractor Liability. The bill signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on January 21, makes owners of any contract for construction purposes in the State responsible for the debt of owed wages of a construction project.

“In the construction industry we see time after time general contractors hire subcontractors who are misclassifying employees and committing tax fraud on job sites across New Jersey,” said Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Secretary-Treasurer William C. Sproule, “General contractors need to be held accountable for the illicit actions taken by the subcontractors they hire. This is the only way to make sure vulnerable workers and the rights they deserve are protected.”

         The new law authorizes the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to enforce these actions. It also authorizes a joint labor-management cooperation committee to bring a civil action to enforce the responsibility against an owner of a construction contract.

                        “More important than anything else when it comes to construction industry tax fraud and the misclassification of workers is strict enforcement by the State of New Jersey,” Sproule continued “General contractors and end-users have to learn that they are directly supporting worker wage theft when they leave subcontractors unchecked. Holding them accountable for the work done on their job sites is fair and necessary in combatting these practices.” 

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