Legislative Update:
• Senate Labor Committee releases the “Responsible Collective Negotiations Act” or “Janus 2” Legislation as well as Legislation to Provide Sick Leave for COVID Impacted Workers and Prevailing Wage Legislation to Cover Certain Sign Fabrication
• Senate Community Affairs Committee Releases Legislation Providing Civil Service and Collective Bargaining for Public Workers in Atlantic City
With just under three weeks remaining until the Legislature’s summer recess, several pro-labor bills were released from committee on Thursday, June 10. Senate Labor Committee Chairman Fred Madden (D-4) had a busy morning debating a lengthy agenda. His committee released:
S-3810: Sponsored by Senate President Sweeney (D-3), Senators Addiego (D-8) and Greenstein (D-14), the “Responsible Collective Negotiations Act” or the “Janus 2” bill addresses three issues related to public employee union membership. The new legislation would build on the “The Workplace Democracy Enhancement Act,” the 2018 New Jersey law enacted in advance of the Janus decision.
- Parity for state workers and civilian local government workers regarding the imposition of contracts;
- Subjects of collective bargaining or “scope of bargaining;” and
- Reforms needed in response to the “Janus v. AFSCME” U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2018.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO as well as CWA and IFPTE Local 195 and the NJEA all testified in support of the bill. Several other unions including AFSCME DC 63, AFT NJ, AAUP-BHSNJ, Teamsters Local 469, HPAE, JNESO, FOP, PFANJ and SMART also expressed support for the bill in committee. A top priority for public sector unions, the bill was released along party lines 3-2 with Democratic Senators Madden (D-4), Lagana (D-38) and Sweeney (D-3) voting “yes,” and Republican Senators Schepisi (R-39) and Testa (R-1) voting “no.”
For additional information on this bill, please click the link below:
The committee also released S-3844 (Madden) unanimously. The bill concerns custom fabrication of certain types of signs as well as the application of prevailing wages and has been a priority for the Sheet Metal Workers Union. S-3827 (Weinberg) was also released along party lines. The bill seeks to provide paid sick leave under certain circumstances for workers impacted by COVID-19.
Finally, S-3819 (Sweeney) amends the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act of 2016 to restore civil service protections and collective bargaining provisions for Atlantic City public workers. The bill was released from the Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously and has already passed the Assembly.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO thanks the sponsors of these important pro-labor bills as well as the legislators who voted in favor of them and the affiliated unions that have worked tirelessly toward their passage.