AB 21

Under current law, the owner of a vehicle operated for the conveyance of

passengers for hire is liable for all injuries and damage done by a person employed

by the owner as an operator of the vehicle while operating the vehicle in the same

manner as the operator would be liable.

This bill prohibits a person engaged in the business of operating a vehicle for

the conveyance of passengers for hire (employer) from discharging from employment

an individual who is employed by the employer to operate such a vehicle (operator)

solely on the basis of the operator having been involved in a single motor vehicle

accident. The bill also prohibits an employer from discharging or discriminating

against an operator or other employee in promotion, in compensation, or in the

terms, conditions, or privileges of employment for opposing the discharge of an

operator in violation of the bill, for filing a complaint or attempting to enforce the

right of an operator not to be discharged in violation of the bill, or for testifying or

assisting in any action or proceeding to enforce that right.

An operator or other employee who is discharged or discriminated against in

violation of the bill may file a complaint with the Department of Workforce

Development (DWD), and DWD must process the complaint in the same manner that

employment discrimination complaints are processed under current law, which

processing may include the ordering of back pay, reinstatement, costs, and attorney

fees. In addition, an employer that discharges or discriminates against an operator

or other employee in violation of the bill is debarred from being awarded a contract

by a state agency or local governmental unit for three years after DWD or a court

finds that the employer committed the violation.