November 07, 2017

Rep. Takano: House GOP Continues to Undermine Workers by Weakening Joint Employer Standards

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3441, the so-called “Save Local Business Act,” which denies workers the ability to collectively bargain or hold their employers accountable for violating workplace laws by dramatically narrowing corporations’ liability for upholding workers’ right.

“Companies are increasingly renting employees from staffing agencies instead of hiring them directly. As a result, the company that controls an employee’s workplace or terms of employment is not always the name on the front of their office building. The current joint employer standard defines who is responsible for the upholding employees’ rights and ensures that workers can hold the appropriate companies accountable for violating wage and hour laws or refusing to collectively bargain. 

“Today, House Republicans voted to gut those standards completely. If this bill becomes law, large corporations will no longer be held accountable if their contractors violate workplace laws, even as they profit off the employees whose rights are being violated. 

“The Majority is once again stripping workers of the leverage they need fight for fair wages and better workplaces.”

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