Legal Definitions - jobber's agreement

A jobber's agreement, also known as a Hazantown Agreement, is a specific type of collective bargaining agreement in labor law. It is typically found in industries where manufacturers (often called "jobbers") frequently outsource parts of their production process to independent contractors or subcontractors. Under a jobber's agreement, a union that represents the employees of the primary manufacturer extends its representation to cover the employees of these independent contractors who perform work for that manufacturer.

The primary purpose of a jobber's agreement is to prevent manufacturers from circumventing union wages, benefits, and working conditions by outsourcing work to non-union contractors who might offer lower pay or fewer benefits. Essentially, it makes the manufacturer responsible for ensuring that the employees of its contractors adhere to the union standards established in the collective bargaining agreement, even though those contractor employees are not directly employed by the manufacturer.

• Example 1: Garment Manufacturing

  A prominent fashion label (the "jobber") has a unionized workforce responsible for design, pattern making, and cutting fabric in its main facility. To handle large production volumes, the label frequently contracts out the actual sewing and finishing of garments to several smaller, independent workshops. A jobber's agreement between the union and the fashion label would stipulate that the employees working in these independent workshops, while producing garments for the label, must receive wages, benefits, and working conditions that meet the standards set by the union's collective bargaining agreement. This ensures the fashion label cannot gain an unfair advantage by using contractors who pay their workers less than union rates.

• Example 2: Furniture Production

  A large furniture company (the "jobber") operates a unionized assembly plant where its main product lines are put together. To offer a wider range of custom finishes and specialized components, the company contracts with several smaller, independent workshops for tasks like intricate woodworking, custom upholstery, or metal fabrication. Through a jobber's agreement, the union representing the furniture company's assembly workers would ensure that the employees of these subcontracted workshops, when working on the furniture company's products, are compensated and treated according to the union's established standards. This prevents the furniture company from outsourcing work to avoid its union obligations.

• Example 3: Specialty Food Packaging

  A well-known gourmet food brand (the "jobber") produces its core product line in a unionized facility. During peak seasons or for limited-edition products, the brand contracts with a third-party packaging facility to handle the final assembly and packaging of its goods. A jobber's agreement would be in place to ensure that the employees at this independent packaging facility, while handling the gourmet brand's products, receive wages, health benefits, and adhere to working conditions that align with the union contract covering the gourmet brand's direct employees. This prevents the brand from using external packaging services to bypass union labor standards.