In 2012, Massachusetts passed An Act Establishing a Temporary Workers Right to Know, amending the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 149, Section 159C. Under this new law, staffing agencies are required to post a notice of temporary workers’ rights.
The Massachusetts Temporary Workers Right to Know Poster informs workers that staffing agencies must give them the following information in writing before each new assignment:
- the name, address, and phone number of the staffing agency
- the name, address, and phone number of the agency’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier
- the name, address, and phone number of the company where the employee will be working
- the job the employee will be doing
- work hours and pay
The poster also informs that staffing agencies cannot charge workers for:
- registering with the agency
- getting work assignments
- drug tests
- CORI (criminal background) checks
- debit cards or other means of payment
- transportation that the employer requires the worker to use
- transportation costs that are more than 3% of daily wages
The poster includes the Department of Labor Standards contact information and clarifies that the law protects temporary workers from coercion, fraud, retaliation, and some other forms of unfair treatment.
Posting Requirement
Staffing and employment agencies must post in a visible location the poster outlining employee rights as specified under the Temporary Workers Right to Know Law.