On House Passing Bill to Allow Joint Employers to Escape Accountability for Wrongdoing

Washington, DC—Following is a statement from Christine Owens, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project:

“Largely along party lines, the House of Representatives today voted to put working people last, siding with large corporations and business interests over the rights of workers to be paid fairly for their labor, to have safe working conditions, and to organize and bargain over the terms and conditions of their work.

“In passing the so-called Save Local Business Act, the House essentially voted to immunize contractors and franchisors from a host of legal responsibilities to the workers they jointly employ with their subcontractors and franchisees.

“Rather than saving any local businesses, if this legislation becomes law, it will leave small and local businesses holding the bag when the conditions forced upon them by larger corporations result in legal violations perpetrated against their employees.

“Workers and local businesses are on the losing end of today’s vote. The winners are the large corporations and their lobbyists and trade associations who already enjoy outsized power over the economy and the workplace, and whose contributions line the campaign coffers of the House members who voted for this bill.”