Temp agency fined $10.5K after 'Invisible workforce' series

Three other temporary employment agencies are under investigation following NJ Advance Media's series on alleged mistreatment of temp workers in New Jersey. Watch video

TRENTON -- One New Jersey temp agency was fined and three other firms are under investigation in response to "The Invisible workforce," an NJ Advance Media series on allegations of mistreatment of workers in the state's temporary employment industry.

Strategic Staffing, a temporary employment agency with six offices across the state, paid a $10,500 civil penalty for operating several locations without a license, according to the state Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees licensing.

Under state law, temp agencies are required to put up a $1,000 bond and apply for a license for each office they open.

Death and despair in N.J.'s temp industry

Strategic Staffing, which has offices in New Brunswick, Bound Brook, Union City and other locations, was among several prominent temp agencies that appeared to be operating without a license earlier this year when NJ Advance Media checked a state database of more than 2,200 licensed firms for its "The invisible workforce" series.

John Clifford, president of StrategyStaff Inc. in Sparta, said he was not aware of the state law requiring temp agencies to register each of their offices, in addition to their headquarters. Once he learned from state officials that most of the company's Strategic Staffing temp agencies were operating without licenses, he immediately paid the $10,500 civil penalty and registered all of the company's locations, he said.

Three other temp agencies with multiple offices around New Jersey are currently under investigation for possible violations of state law as a result of the NJ Advance Media special report, said Lisa Coryell, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Consumer Affairs.

"The division is continuing to review these locations," Coryell said. 

NJ Advance Media's "The invisible workforce" series was published last month with the assistance of Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a California-based news organization. The series chronicled the alleged racial discrimination, sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions some temps say they face while working in assignments in warehouses and factories around New Jersey.

Many blue collar temps, who earn between $8.38 and $11 an hour, say they do not report allegations of mistreatment to authorities because they are immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and fear deportation. Advocates for temp workers also allege state and federal agencies do not have the funding or the staff to properly oversee the temp industry, which has grown rapidly across the nation.

Earlier this month, the industry association representing New Jersey's temp agencies responded to the NJ Advance Media report with a call for new fines and more staff at state agencies to enforce laws protecting temp workers.

The New Jersey Staffing Alliance, which represents more than 140 staffing companies, also called on the state Legislature to amend state laws to protect temp workers living in the U.S. illegally from deportation if they report alleged mistreatment to state agencies.

Since 2003, the state Division of Consumer Affairs has taken action against eight employment and temp agencies and collected $45,511 in civil penalties, including the money from Strategic Staffing, Coryell said.

"The division exercises its investigative authority when it receives a consumer complaint, when it has reason to believe an agency or firm is operating in violation of licensing/registration laws, or when the public interest is affected," Coryell said.

But the division receives "very few" complaints from temp workers, many of whom are immigrants who fear deportation, she said. Instead, most complaints come from community groups or lawyers specializing in immigration law.

"Many of those complaints are fielded by division employees while conducting outreach programs at various sites throughout the state or while speaking at community and professional programs," Coryell said.

Anyone who wants to file a complaint against a temp agency with Consumer Affairs can do so easily via the agency's website or by phone, she said.