Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Tell NJ Senate: Crack down on abusive employers (like FedEx Ground) now

Tomorrow, New Jersey state senators will vote on a bill to crack down on employers who illegally misclassify drivers in the motor trucking industry. That includes employers FedEx Ground.

These bad actors call their workers independent contractors despite treating them as employees. The workers are denied basic workplace rights, like protections under OSHA and the Federal Labor Relations Act. They're forced to pay out-of-pocket for all of the costs of their jobs, like uniforms and equipment. 
These drivers even have to ask employers for vacation time, despite being called independent.

The New Jersey Assembly has already voted to end the misclassification of truck drivers. Teamsters came out in strong support of the measure. Many lawmakers were contacted and urged to vote for the bill.

Now, we need help from New Jersey Teamsters more than ever. Please send an email asking your state senator to vote yes on S-1450.

FedEx is lobbying hard against the bill:
FedEx has also come out swinging against the measure, which specifically includes drayage truck operators and package delivery drivers. Drayage trucking involves the short-distance transportation of goods.
These bad-acting employers get the best of both worlds; control of abused workers while saving millions of dollars in workers compensation and unemployment benefits.   And when these employers are allowed to cheat they put law abiding companies at a competitive disadvantage and bring down standards for all workers.

Join thousands of other Teamsters today and tell your Senator to support S-1450. Just click here and send an email to support S-1450: The Truck Operator Independent Contractor Act. The email says, in part: 
...the legislation ... would crack down on employers who intentionally misclassify drivers and cost the state millions of dollars every year. This practice, which the state has deemed a “serious injustice” to workers, costs the state millions annually in unpaid income and unemployment taxes as well as unpaid workers compensation premiums. Meanwhile, these misclassified drivers are left unprotected by some of the most basic work place rights, like OSHA and even the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Don't delay! Just click here to send the email today!