NJ LEGISLATURE TO BAN INDEPENDENT OWNER OPERATORS BY DECEMBER 2019
Important Updates
CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE RESOLUTION
STATING OPPOSITION TO S4204
CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE PETITION
TO SAVE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS IN NJ
Flyers for Drivers
ATTENTION DRIVERS
CONDUCTORES DE ATENCION
** ICYMI ** Bi-State President Lisa Yakomin discussed S4204 on NY Truck Stop radio last Saturday, and the negative impact it would have on the Port of NY & NJ
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
The Independent Contractor trucking model is under attack in New Jersey. 77% of the drivers who work at the Port of NY & NJ are independent contractors, but the NJ legislature is set to ban owner operators in New Jersey next month, crippling the ability to move freight at the second-largest port in the U.S.
Two bills, S4204 and A5936, re-write the ABC classification test so that Independent Owner Operators cannot pass & must work as Company Employees.
Many Independent Owner Operator drivers have no idea that they will lose their ability to work in NJ very soon if these bills pass in December. Please share this important news update with them.
Contact these legislators today and tell them you OPPOSE S4204 and A5936:
Senate President Sweeney 856-251-9801, sensweeney@njleg.org
Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean 908-232-3673, senkean@njleg.org
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, 732-855-7441, asmcoughlin@njleg.org
Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, 908-232-2073, asmbramnick@njleg.org
Contact your local legislators, too. Look them up using this link: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp
** NEW ** Find a full list of Legislator’s phone numbers at this link: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/printable_roster.pdf
Email your legislators using an online form at this link: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/SelectMun.asp
Press Coverage:
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Freight Waves – New Jersey’s owner-operator law in limbo for now, but risk remains New
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NJ.com – Reclassifying Independent Contractors Means Prices Will Skyrocket, Truckers Say New
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Insider NJ – Senate Labor Committee Moves Controversial S-4204
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Insider NJ – NJ Independent Contractors Take on Bill That Would Decimate Their Businesses
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NJ Biz – OP-ED: Legislature poised to increase pay gap, crush flexibility for working moms
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New York Truck Stop – New Jersey Independent Contract Law
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FreightWaves – New Jersey motor carriers consider next moves under ABC test law
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NorthJersey.com – Controversy swirls around NJ bill that seeks to curb misuse of independent contractors
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Save Jersey – Kean: “my phone has been ringing off the hook” with independent contractor bill opposition
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CBS News – California’s gig worker law will mostly affect non-gig workers
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Shore News Network – NJ Democrats Target New Jersey’s Independent Contractors in Latest Tax Scheme Against Small Business
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Philadelphia Inquirer – If New Jersey worker bill passes, I may need to move to continue my freelance career
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Independent Women’s Forum – New Jersey Considers Joining California in Battle Against Contract Work
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Washington Examiner – Proposed New Jersey legislation threatens independent contractors
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NJ 101.5 – LAWMAKERS, BUSINESSES WRESTLE OVER INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR RULES
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The Trentonian – The lives of hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans are about to be destroyed
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Fox Business News – New Jersey truckers alarmed by California-like gig economy measure
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Freight Waves – New Jersey next to debate limits on trucking’s use of owner-operators
Links to Additional Resources:
- ATTENTION DRIVERS New
- CONDUCTORES DE ATENCION New
- Tell these Legislators you oppose S4204/A5936 New
- How to Find Your Legislators Online New
- Como llamar a sus Legisladores New
- BI-STATE TESTIMONY ON A5936 – 11/18/19
- BI-STATE TESTIMONY ON S4204 – 11/14/19
- BI-STATE OPPOSITION LETTER TO SENATE LABOR COMMITTEE – 11/11/19
- Printable PDF version of this Call to Action
- Printable PDF version of the talking points below
- ¿POR QUÉ OPONEMOS A S4204 Y A5936?
WHY DO WE OPPOSE S4204 AND A5936?
—The Port Driver perspective is being ignored. The sponsors of these bills did not speak to anyone from the trucking community when drafting these bills, and no one from the trucking industry was included on the Governor’s Misclassification Task Force.
—The Drivers Do Not Want This 77% of port drivers are Independent Contractors, and they want to remain independent business owners. These bills take away their right to pursue the American Dream.
— Freight Transportation Requires a Flexible Workforce The Legislature does not understand how essential Independent Contractors are to the Port Trucking industry. Freight volumes fluctuate throughout the year, and the workforce must be able to expand and contract along with it.
— Minority-Owned Businesses Will Be Hardest Hit The transportation industry has a larger share of minority workers than any other industries in NJ. This legislation will hurt minority-owned businesses
— Jobs Will Be Lost There are 6500 Owner Operators at the port, and trucking companies cannot afford to hire all of them as employees
— NJ Will Suffer Financially These bills will cost the State of NJ billions of dollars in federal, state, and local tax revenues when there aren’t enough drivers to move freight. Shippers will send their freight to other nearby ports (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk) and we will never get that business back.
— Consumers Will Pay More–for Everything! NJ is already one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. This bill will make it worse: the cost of everything that travels by truck will increase significantly, including food, medicine, fuel, clothing, electronics, and more, hitting NJ’s low-income and middle class residents the hardest.