Legislators heard testimony Tuesday on a bill to expedite the process for jobsite stop work orders.
Right now, if an employer is accused of not paying workers or not providing workers' compensation coverage, a stop work order has to get through Superior Court. That could take weeks.
This bill would streamline the process by allowing the New Hampshire Department of Labor to issue the order directly.
Joseph Donahue with the Carpenter's Union testified in favor Tuesday. He says he's overwhelmed by the number of workers -- both in construction and in other sectors like hospitality -- who say they're not getting paid.
"Undocumented workers are the ones that are most vulnerable, so these companies take advantage of that," Donahue said.
A representative with the Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire spoke in opposition, citing fears that whole jobsites could be shutdown because of one subcontractor acting out of line.
“We don’t want somebody to think they can stop the entire project for one subcontractor,” said Gary Abbott, executive vice president with the Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire.
Last year the Department of Labor says it started the process on stop work orders for 11 employers.
“The vast, overwhelming majority of employers have comp coverage and do pay wages,” said Senator Dan Feltes, the prime sponsor on Senate Bill 151. “But where it does occur it’s pretty egregious and the timely response of the department is really needed.”
