State Rep. Rickey Thompson, D., filed a resolution in the Mississippi House urging the state to adopt a Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights, according to HR 152.
The resolution says temporary work is often unregulated and leads to widespread abuse, including long-term assignments without benefits and unequal opportunities for steady employment, the document says.
HR 152 asks companies and staffing agencies to pay temporary workers a living wage and provide basic employment information. It seeks to bar agencies from charging workers for background checks and drug tests, limit the use of forced arbitration and noncompete agreements, and require agencies to publish key data about their employment practices. The measure also calls for the same basic safety training for temporary workers, limits on conversion fees and steps to address discrimination.
The resolution would prohibit temporary assignments from exceeding 90 days and says an employee who works past that period should be offered full-time permanent employment with benefits, the resolution states. HR 152 has been referred to the House Rules Committee for consideration.
Sources at the Capitol told the Magnolia Tribune it is unlikely the resolution will move out of committee and onto the House floor, the Tribune reported.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
