Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes waterfront wage standards.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing waterfront prevailing wage standards and supplementing chapter 11 of Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. For the purposes of this act:
Applicable waterfront prevailing wage rates means the wage rates paid by virtue of collective bargaining agreements with waterfront employers employing the largest numbers of longshoremen, including collective bargaining agreements which apply to longshoremen working in waterfront facilities throughout the State, provided that if a collective bargaining agreement applying to a smaller locality or waterfront facility stipulates wage levels higher than the levels stipulated by collective bargaining agreements with State-wide application, the higher rates shall be the applicable waterfront prevailing wage rates for that locality or facility. Contributions by a waterfront employer for benefits made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement shall be considered an integral part of the wage paid by the waterfront employer for the purpose of determining the applicable waterfront prevailing wage rates for purpose of this act.
"Carrier of freight by water" shall mean any person engaged, or who may hold himself out as willing to be engaged, whether as a common carrier, as a contract carrier, or otherwise, in the carriage of freight by water, except for carriage of liquid cargoes in bulk in tank vessels designed for use exclusively in such service, and except for carriage by barge of bulk cargoes consisting of only a single commodity loaded or carried without wrappers or containers and delivered by the carrier without transportation mark or count.
Classification of longshoremen means categories of longshoremen, including: the kind of cargo they handle, such as break-bulk terminal cargo, break-bulk vessel cargo, or containers; job categories, such as laborers, equipment operators, checkers, crane operators, or mechanics; and duration of employment.
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development or his duly authorized representatives.
"Container" means any receptacle, box, carton or crate which is specifically designed and constructed so that it may be repeatedly used for the carriage of freight by a carrier of freight by water.
"Department" means the Department of Labor and Workforce Development of the State of New Jersey.
Financial assistance" means any loan, loan guarantee, grant, incentive, tax exemption or other financial assistance that is approved, funded, authorized, or administered by a public body, or otherwise provided by the public body.
"Hiring agent" means an individual, who on behalf of any other person selects longshoremen for employment.
"Locality" means any political subdivision of the State, combination of the same or parts thereof, or any geographical area or areas classified, designated and fixed by the commissioner from time to time, provided that in determining the "locality," the commissioner shall be guided by the boundary lines of political subdivisions or parts thereof, or by a consideration of the areas with respect to which it has been the practice of waterfront employers of classifications of longshoremen to engage in collective bargaining with the representatives of those classifications of longshoremen.
"Longshoreman" means an individual, other than a hiring agent, who is employed for work at a waterfront facility to:
(a) move waterborne freight on a vessel berthed at waterfront facilities, or to or from a barge, lighter or railroad car for transfer to or from the vessel;
(b) engage in direct and immediate checking of the freight or its custodial accounting or in the recording or tabulation of the hours worked at waterfront facilities by longshoremen;
(c) directly and immediately supervise longshoremen; or
(d) perform any other labor or services incidental to the movement of waterborne freight on vessels berthed at waterfront facilities, including, but not limited to, cargo repairmen, coopers, general maintenance workers, mechanical and miscellaneous workers, horse and cattle fitters, grain ceilers, port watchmen, and marine carpenters.
"Marine terminal" means an area located in the State which includes piers, and is used primarily for the moving, warehousing, distributing or packing of waterborne freight or freight to or from those piers, and which, inclusive of such piers, is under common ownership or control.
"Person" means an individual or any partnership, joint venture, association, corporation or any other legal entity other than a governmental entity.
"Pier" includes any wharf, pier, dock or quay.
"Port watchman" includes any watchman, gateman, groundsman, detective, guard, guardian or protector of property employed by the operator of any pier or other waterfront terminal or by a carrier of freight by water to perform services in such capacity on any pier or other waterfront terminal.
"Public body" means the State of New Jersey, any of its political subdivisions, and any authority, instrumentality, or agency of the State of New Jersey or of any of its political subdivisions.
Public waterfront facility means a waterfront facility located in the State which:
(a) is owned, operated or administered by a public body;
(b) receives financial assistance that is approved, funded, authorized, or administered by a public body, or otherwise provided by the public body; or
(c) is owned, operated or administered by a waterfront employer who receives financial assistance that is approved, funded, authorized, or administered by a public body, or otherwise provided by the public body.
"Stevedore" means an employer of longshoremen who is a contractor or subcontractor, but not an employee, engaged for compensation pursuant to a contract or arrangement with a carrier of waterborne freight or operator of a waterfront facility, to move waterborne freight carried or consigned for carriage by the carrier on, onto, or from vessels of the carrier berthed at waterfront facilities, including:
(a) a contractor engaged for compensation pursuant to a contract or arrangement with a public entity, the United States, or any other state or territory thereof, to move freight carried or consigned for carriage between any point in a waterfront facility and a point outside of the waterfront facility on vessels berthed at the waterfront facility, or
(b) a contractor engaged for compensation pursuant to a contract or arrangement with any person to perform labor or services incidental to the movement of waterborne freight on, onto, or from vessels berthed at waterfront facilities, including, but not limited to, cargo storage, cargo repairing, coopering, general maintenance, mechanical and miscellaneous work, horse and cattle fitting, grain ceiling, and marine carpentry, or
(c) a contractor engaged for compensation pursuant to a contract or arrangement with any other person to perform labor or services involving, or incidental to, the movement of freight into or out of containers, which have been or which will be carried by a carrier of freight by water, on vessels berthed at waterfront facilities.
"Waterborne freight" shall mean freight carried by or consigned for carriage by carriers of freight by water, including ships' stores, baggage and mail carried by or consigned for carriage by carriers of freight by water.
Waterfront employer means an operator of a waterfr