Bill Introduced in New Jersey to Allow Alternative Workers’ Compensation Programs To Be Established Through Collective Bargaining

On October 1, 2012, a bill (S2201) was introduced that would allow employers and unions to negotiate an alternative workers’ compensation program provided certain requirements are met. The bill also permits a group of employers participating in Taft-Hartley trust funds to apply to the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance for approval to enter into an agreement to pool their workers’ compensation liabilities in order to qualify as members of a group plan for self-insurance.