ASTA’s Grassroots Campaign Achieves Positive Results in New Jersey

The American Society of Travel Advisors is thanking all of those who participated in its campaign in New Jersey to amend an independent contractor bill.

The association announced a win in swaying the state Senate to make changes to bill S4204 that will provide better clarity for the status of independent contractors.

Senate President Steve Sweeney announced that he would make changes to the bill that would implement an “ABC” test to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Specifically, Sweeney is changing the “B” part of the test, which will be changed back to the version that exists in current law, and allows New Jersey travel agencies to satisfy this element of the test if “the service is performed outside of all the places of business of the employer for which the service is performed.”

ASTA launched a grassroots campaign to change the bill that generated 490 messages to New Jersey legislators, and ASTA sent a letter to Sweeney earlier in the month asking for amendments to the bill, and according to the senator, that is what will happen.

The legislation has not yet been approved, and ASTA will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the New Jersey bill is favorable to travel agents.