New Jersey Auto Bill Signed Into Law
Bill to Protect Autoworkers Signed by Governor Murphy
(New Jersey)—Governor Phil Murphy has signed legislation that will prevent auto technicians from being shortchanged by car manufacturers. The new law caps months of advocacy on the part of the United Service Workers Union (USWU), which helped build support for the legislation with frequent trips to Trenton this past session to meet with individual lawmakers and Murphy’s staff.
The law requires auto manufacturers to fairly compensate dealerships and their technicians when they perform crucial maintenance work and vehicle repairs. Under the previous law, car manufacturers paid for warranty work based on their own estimation, with timelines that were often unrealistic. Now, franchised car dealers and their technicians would be more fairly compensated for diagnostic and repair work.
In a statement, Peter DeVito, the United Service Workers Union's Automotive Director, says, "The United Service Workers Union, IUJAT, thank Governor Murphy for signing the auto bill today. This bill will ensure fair pay for the hard-working automotive technicians across the state. Auto manufacturers can no longer take advantage of technicians to line their own pockets. The USWU is proud we led this fight on behalf of our automotive membership and will now focus on enforcing this new law.”
Supporters of the bill note that for years, auto technicians were forced to work within a timeframe dictated by the manufacturers. This resulted in workers rushing to complete needed repairs with the understanding that if they failed to meet the timeline, they would not be paid for any extra work required to complete the repair. Lifting that pressure will improve the quality of these repairs and improve safety.
Connor Shaw, Political Director for the United Service Workers Union says, "After today's bill signing, New Jersey is a little bit fairer. We are incredibly proud of the hard work that our auto technicians do, and we are proud to have championed a bill to address long standing grievances in the industry. USWU and IUJAT thank Governor Murphy for signing this legislation and the legislative leadership for passing it. We also thank our legislative sponsors for being strong advocates for technicians throughout all of New Jersey."