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Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed the Temp Worker Fairness and
Safety Act into law. The measure restricts the practice of
so-called “permatemping,” where workers are kept in temporary
assignments for long periods of time. The act, which goes into
effect immediately, requires temporary workers assigned to work
for more than 90 days to be paid the same as a full-time
employee.
The Chicago Workers Collective and other worker advocates
strongly pushed for the legislation.
Andrew Herrara, spokesman for the Chicago Workers Collaborative,
said those workers will get an immediate raise.
“There will be hundreds of thousands of workers that this will
apply to who will be making $4 more per hour, which you can
imagine is a major quality of life difference,” said Herrera.
The law also ensures that all temp workers have the right to
refuse a strikebreaking assignment without being retaliated
against, and increases funding for enforcement through increased
fees and increased fines for employers who violate the act.
Opponents argued it is likely the 90-day requirement will
discourage third-party clients from working with particular
temporary laborers on a long-term basis.
Brad Tietz, vice president of Government Relations and Strategy
with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said there are a lot
of concerns regarding the new law.
“Because the negotiation process was flawed on this, it has led
to a bill that we believe is going to cause a lot of companies
that have relied on staffing firms, they're no longer going to
use these staffing agencies,” Tietz told The Center Square.
Other groups opposed to the legislation included the Illinois
Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Trucking
Association.
New Jersey is the only other state with a similar law.
A separate law Illinois business groups opposed that Pritzker
also signed Friday, House Bill 1122, creates the Freelance
Worker Protection Act. The governor's office said the law, which
goes into effect July 1, 2024, aims to "protect freelance
workers from intimidation, harassment, and discrimination from
hiring parties, requires timely compensation and requires
employers to provide freelance workers with written contracts."
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