Calif. Senate Approves Bill to Protect Temporary Workers

Legislation that Would Hold Companies Accountable for Labor Suppliers' Violations Advances

News provided by

International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Aug 28, 2014, 11:51 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Senate approved AB 1897 Wednesday evening. The bill will hold companies accountable for serious violations of the rights of workers on their premises that are committed by their own labor suppliers.

Upon the passage of the bill, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa issued this statement:

"In California, bad employers thought they found another loophole to cheat workers, but the California Senate voted to close it tonight. We are one step closer to preventing companies from engaging in a 21^st century scam by claiming the men and women who do their work are not really employees but 'temporary' workers for labor contractors or agencies. This corporate shell game allows corporations to deny responsibility for basic worker rights like pay, benefits, and working conditions. Holding a corporation accountable for violations on its shop floor is an important step in the right direction."

The bill, which is authored by Calif. Assemblyman Roger Hernandez and co-sponsored by the California Labor Federation, heads back to the Assembly next for concurrence by Aug. 31.

Taylor Farms, the poster child for this legislation, is the world's largest salad processor, supplying to McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Subway, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden and Red Lobster), and many other restaurant and food chains. At its processing plant in Tracy, a majority of the people who do the work actually are employed by three temporary staffing agencies and not by Taylor Farms. One of these agencies, known as Slingshot, has its office on the company's premises, and Taylor is its only customer.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Teamsters.

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters