HB1376 would introduce yet another anti-business mandate into our laws that would require the employer of a “temporary worker” to offer permanent work status after a period of six months. There are several problems with this Bill. First, there is not a single state in our country that has introduced a must-hire mandate into law. This would place New Hampshire in the unenviable position of being our nation’s “test case”. Next, the requirement to hire after 6 months would interfere with the traditional employer/employee business relationships by introducing new, bureaucratic mandates. Frequently, many employers need or want the flexibility that temporary workers can provide for seasonal work or short term vacancies. Additionally, employers utilize temporary workers to assess those workers for potential long-term employment opportunities. The bill could also have the unintentional effect of employers dismissing temporary workers as the 6 month deadline approached in an effort to protect their interests.
Testimony from the Business and Industry Association noted that currently, no problems exist between temporary agencies, their employees and the employers they serve. In fact not a single temporary employee testified at our public hearing. Employees not wishing to work thru a temp agency certainly are not forced to do so, yet many know and understand such work can lead to full time positions.
Written testimony from the AFL-CIO admitted: “The use of temporary workers can be a boon for employers needing to fill short-term vacancies or manage seasonal spikes in production, and can be a pathway to better jobs for workers who use temporary assignments to gain experience and learn new skills.” That, fellow representatives, is a classic win-win scenario.
Adding further mandates and regulations into an already overly burdensome business environment would make New Hampshire’s business climate less competitive in comparison to other states. For all of the preceding reasons, I request you support the Labor Committee majority recommendation of ITL [kill the bill].