Bill > S959

This bill aims to provide economic stability for service workers who are displaced when contracts for services change hands. It defines key terms such as "awarding authority" (entities contracting for services like janitorial, security, or aviation at airports), "successor contractor" (a new entity taking over a service contract with at least 10 employees), "predecessor contractor" (the previous entity holding the contract), and "service employee" (non-seasonal workers performing specific services for at least 8 hours a week, excluding managerial roles). The core provision requires a successor contractor to retain existing service employees from the predecessor contractor for at least a 90-day transition period, offering them employment at their previous wage. If fewer employees are needed, the remaining predecessor employees must be placed on a preferential hiring list for any new openings during this period, and employers can only discharge employees for cause, not arbitrarily. The bill also mandates that awarding authorities notify predecessor contractors of new awards and that predecessor contractors provide employee information to both the successor and awarding authority, with penalties for non-compliance to be paid to the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance.