Law gives new rights to temporary workers

BOSTON (WWLP) - Governor Deval Patrick has signed a bill that gives temporary workers the right to know basic information about their employer, wages, and benefits.

State Representative Cheryl Coakley Rivera (D-Springfield) has been a leading force behind the bill. She says this legislation will eliminate confusion among workers who are sent by staffing agencies to work without any idea of their basic rights.

Representative Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Dorchester), another proponent of the law, says it will require staffing agencies to provide temporary workers with information on their wages, their employer, and how they will be compensated if they are hurt on the job.

“We’re really trying to focus on the blue collar workers. During the down economy, you know people are out of work so they really try to make ends meet by, and they’re taking these temp jobs and we’re saying ‘You know it’s fair for them to know where they’re going, what materials they’re going to be working with, what they’re going to get paid,’” Forry said.

The bill prohibits staffing agencies from charging fees that would reduce a worker’s pay below the minimum wage. It also require agencies to reimburse workers for sending them to work sites when no work is available.