Chapter 103

103.34(9)(h) (h) Prohibit or restrict a traveling sales crew worker from contacting any family member, friend, or other person while traveling with a traveling sales crew.

103.34(9)(i) (i) Intentionally inflict or threaten to inflict any bodily harm on a traveling sales crew worker or damage to the property of a traveling sales crew worker as a means of discipline or motivation.

103.34(9)(j) (j) Advise or counsel a traveling sales crew worker to make false representations to a person to whom he or she is offering consumer goods or services concerning his or her motivation for selling those goods or services.

103.34(9)(k) (k) Discharge or discriminate against any person for opposing a practice prohibited under this section. Section 111.322 (2m) applies to discharge and other discriminatory acts arising in connection with any proceeding under this section.

103.34(10) (10) Child support; delinquent taxes or unemployment insurance contributions.

103.34(10)(a) (a)

103.34(10)(a)1. 1. Except as provided in subd. 3., the department shall require each applicant for a certificate of registration who is an individual to provide the department with the applicant’s social security number, and shall require each applicant for a certificate of registration who is not an individual to provide the department with the applicant’s federal employer identification number, when initially applying for or applying to renew the certificate of registration.

103.34(10)(a)2. 2. If an applicant who is an individual fails to provide the applicant’s social security number to the department or if an applicant who is not an individual fails to provide the applicant’s federal employer identification number to the department, the department may not issue or renew a certificate of registration to or for the applicant unless the applicant is an individual who does not have a social security number and the applicant submits a statement made or subscribed under oath or affirmation as required under subd. 3.

103.34(10)(a)3. 3. If an applicant who is an individual does not have a social security number, the applicant shall submit a statement made or subscribed under oath or affirmation to the department that the applicant does not have a social security number. The form of the statement shall be prescribed by the department. A certificate of registration issued in reliance upon a false statement submitted under this subdivision is invalid.

103.34(10)(a)4. 4. The department of workforce development may not disclose any information received under subd. 1. to any person except to the department of revenue for the sole purpose of requesting certifications under s. 73.0301 or on the request of the department of children and families under s. 49.22 (2m).

103.34(10)(b) (b) The department of workforce development shall deny, suspend, restrict, refuse to renew, or otherwise withhold a certificate of registration for failure of the applicant or registrant to pay court-ordered payments of child or family support, maintenance, birth expenses, medical expenses, or other expenses related to the support of a child or former spouse or for failure of the applicant or registrant to comply, after appropriate notice, with a subpoena or warrant issued by the department of children and families or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and related to paternity or child support proceedings, as provided in a memorandum of understanding entered into under s. 49.857. Notwithstanding s. 103.005 (10), an action taken under this paragraph is subject to review only as provided in the memorandum of understanding entered into under s. 49.857 and not as provided in ch. 227.

103.34(10)(c) (c) The department of workforce development shall deny an application for the issuance or renewal of a certificate of registration, or revoke a certificate of registration already issued, if the department of revenue certifies under s. 73.0301 that the applicant or registrant is liable for delinquent taxes. Notwithstanding s. 103.005 (10), an action taken under this paragraph is subject to review only as provided under s. 73.0301 (5) and not as provided in ch. 227.

103.34(10)(d) (d)

103.34(10)(d)1. 1. The department may deny an application for the issuance or renewal of a certificate of registration, or revoke a certificate of registration already issued, if the department determines that the applicant or registrant is liable for delinquent contributions, as defined in s. 108.227 (1) (d). Notwithstanding s. 103.005 (10), an action taken under this subdivision is subject to review only as provided under s. 108.227 (5) and not as provided in ch. 227.

103.34(10)(d)2. 2. If the department denies an application or revokes a certificate of registration under subd. 1., the department shall mail a notice of denial or revocation to the applicant or registrant. The notice shall include a statement of the facts that warrant the denial or revocation and a statement that the applicant or registrant may, within 30 days after the date on which the notice of denial or revocation is mailed, file a written request with the department to have the determination that the applicant or registrant is liable for delinquent contributions reviewed at a hearing under s. 108.227 (5) (a).

103.34(10)(d)3. 3. If, after a hearing under s. 108.227 (5) (a), the department affirms a determination under subd. 1. that an applicant or registrant is liable for delinquent contributions, the department shall affirm its denial or revocation. An applicant or registrant may seek judicial review under s. 108.227 (6) of an affirmation by the department of a denial or revocation under this subdivision.

103.34(10)(d)4. 4. If, after a hearing under s. 108.227 (5) (a), the department determines that a person whose certificate of registration is revoked or whose application is denied under subd. 1. is not liable for delinquent contributions, as defined in s. 108.227 (1) (d), the department shall reinstate the certificate of registration or approve the application, unless there are other grounds for revocation or denial. The department may not charge a fee for reinstatement of a certificate under this subdivision.

103.34(11) (11) Traveling sales crew worker permits.

103.34(11)(a) (a)

103.34(11)(a)1. 1. No individual may be employed or permitted to work as a traveling sales crew worker unless the employer of the individual first obtains from the department a traveling sales crew worker permit for the individual as provided in this subdivision, and the individual first obtains from the department an identification card as provided in this subdivision. The traveling sales crew worker permit and identification card shall be in a form prescribed by the department, which form shall include at a minimum the name and permanent home address of the traveling sales crew worker and the name, address, and phone number of his or her employer.

103.34(11)(a)2. 2. An employer of a traveling sales crew worker and all employees, agents, or representatives of that employer who supervise or transport traveling sales crew workers shall carry at all times while engaged in traveling sales crew activities a copy of the permit obtained under subd. 1. for each traveling sales crew worker of the employer and shall exhibit that copy upon the request of any deputy of the department, law enforcement officer, or person with whom the employer, employee, agent, or representative is doing business.

103.34(11)(a)3. 3. A traveling sales crew worker shall carry at all times while engaged in traveling sales crew activities the identification card obtained under subd. 1. and shall exhibit that card upon the request of any deputy of the department, law enforcement officer, or person with whom the traveling sales crew worker is doing business.

103.34(11)(a)4. 4. Failure to exhibit a copy of a permit upon request under subd. 2. or an identification card upon request under subd. 3. is prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.

103.34(11)(b) (b) A traveling sales crew employer shall do all of the following:

103.34(11)(b)1. 1. Keep a copy of the permit obtained under par. (a) 1. for each traveling sales crew worker of the employer for at least 3 years after the traveling sales crew worker leaves the employ of the employer and allow the department to inspect those permits upon request.

103.34(11)(b)2. 2. Keep a list of the names of all cities, villages, or towns where traveling sales crew workers of the employer engaged in traveling sales crew activities within the last 3 years and allow the department to inspect that list upon request.

103.34(11)(b)3. 3. At the request of the department, provide a list of all cities, villages, or towns where the employer intends to employ traveling sales crew workers in traveling sales crew activities for the 6-month period beginning on the date of the request.

103.34(11)(c) (c) Before an employer may permit a traveling sales crew worker of the employer to engage in traveling sales crew activities in any city, village, or town, the employer shall obtain from the clerk of the city, village, or town a stamp or endorsement on the permit obtained under par. (a) 1. of the traveling sales crew worker. When an employer obtains that stamp or endorsement, the employer shall provide notice that traveling sales crew workers of the employer will be engaging in traveling sales crew activities in that city, village, or town to the following:

103.34(11)(c)1. 1. The local police department, if the city, village, or town has a police department.

103.34(11)(c)2. 2. To the sheriff of the county where the city, village, or town is located, if the city, village, or town does not have a police department.

103.34(11)(d) (d) Law enforcement officers of counties, cities, villages, and towns shall assist the department in enforcing this section by questioning individuals seen engaging in traveling sales crew activities and reporting to the department all cases of individuals apparently engaging in traveling sales crew activities in violation of this section.

103.34(12) (12) Penalties; enforcement.

103.34(12)(a) (a) Any person that engages in traveling sales crew activities in violation of this section, any rule promulgated under sub. (13), or any order issued under this section, that employs or permits the employment of any individual as a traveling sales crew worker in violation of this section, any rule promulgated under sub. (13), or any order issued under this section, or that hinders or delays the department or any law enforcement officer in the performance of their duties under this section, may be required to forfeit not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 for each day of a first offense and, for a 2nd or subsequent offense within 5 years, as measured from the dates the violations initially occurred, may be fined not less than $250 nor more than $5,000 for each day of the 2nd or subsequent offense or imprisoned not more than 30 days or both.

103.34(12)(b) (b) In addition to the penalties under par. (a), any person that employs or permits the employment of any individual as a traveling sales crew worker in violation of sub. (2), (5) (b), (9) (b), or (11) (a) or (c) shall be liable, in addition to the wages paid, to pay to each individual affected, an amount equal to twice the regular rate of pay as liquidated damages for all hours worked in violation per day or per week, whichever is greater.

103.34(12)(c) (c) The department of workforce development may refer violations of this section or of any rules promulgated under sub. (13) for prosecution by the department of justice or the district attorney of the county in which the violation occurred.

103.34(13) (13) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section. Those rules shall include all of the following:

103.34(13)(a) (a) A fee for obtaining a certificate of registration. The department shall determine the fee based on the cost of issuing certificates of registration. The department may not require an individual who is eligible for a fee waiver under the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44 to pay a fee for obtaining a certificate of registration.

103.34(13)(b) (b) Minimum requirements for the issuance of a certificate of registration.

103.34(13)(c) (c) Safety standards relating to the transportation of traveling sales crew workers, the storage, handling, and transportation of hazardous materials by traveling sales crews and any other exposure of a traveling sales crew worker to hazardous materials, and the training of traveling sales crews in the storage, handling, and transportation of hazardous materials.

103.34(13)(d) (d) The amount of liability insurance that an employer of a traveling sales crew worker shall have in force under sub. (8).

103.34(14) (14) Nonapplicability; nonpreemption.

103.34(14)(a) (a) This section does not apply to the employment of a person in a fund-raising sale for a nonprofit organization, as defined in s. 103.21 (2), a public school, as defined in s. 103.21 (5), or a private school, as defined in s. 103.21 (4).

103.34(14)(b) (b) This section does not preempt a county, city, village, or town from enacting a local ordinance regulating traveling sales crew activities. To the extent that a local ordinance regulates conduct that is regulated under this section, the local ordinance shall be at least as strict as the regulation of that conduct under this section.

103.34 History History: 2009 a. 3; 2011 a. 209; 2013 a. 36, 362; 2015 a. 264, 366; 2017 a. 283; 2021 a. 76; 2023 a. 10, 224.

103.34 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. DWD 273, Wis. adm. code.

103.35 103.35 Information required for licensure. No state office, department, board, examining board, affiliated credentialing board, commission, council or independent agency in the executive branch, the legislature or the courts may, as a condition for receiving an occupational or professional certificate, license, permit or registration, require the submission of information by the applicant which is not essential for the determination of eligibility for the issuance or renewal of the certificate, license, permit or registration. Information which is not essential to determine eligibility for issuance or renewal may be requested but the applicant shall be notified in a prominent place on or accompanying the request that she or he is not required to provide such information.

103.35 History History: 1979 c. 34; 1993 a. 107.

103.36 103.36 Employer right to solicit salary information of prospective employees; statewide concern; uniformity.

103.36(1) (1) An employer may solicit information regarding the salary history of prospective employees.

103.36(2) (2) The legislature finds that the provision of an employer right to solicit salary information that is uniform throughout the state is a matter of statewide concern and that the enactment of an ordinance by a city, village, town, or county that prohibits an employer from soliciting salary information would be logically inconsistent with, would defeat the purpose of, and would go against the spirit of this section. Therefore, this section shall be construed as an enactment of statewide concern for the purpose of providing an employer right to solicit salary information that is uniform throughout the state.

103.36(3) (3) 

103.36(3)(a) (a) No city, village, town, or county may enact or enforce an ordinance prohibiting an employer from soliciting information regarding the salary history of prospective employees.

103.36(3)(b) (b) If a city, village, town, or county has in effect on April 18, 2018, an ordinance prohibiting an employer from soliciting information regarding the salary history of prospective employees, the ordinance does not apply and may not be enforced.

103.36 History History: 2017 a. 327.

103.37 103.37 Certain requirements to obtaining employment prohibited.

103.37(1m) (1m) In this section:

103.37(1m)(a) (a) “Employee” means a person who may be permitted, required or directed by an employer, in consideration of direct or indirect gain or profit, to engage in any employment.

103.37(1m)(b) (b) “Employer” means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company, legal representative, trustee, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or any common carrier by rail, motor, water or air doing business in or operating within the state.

103.37(2m) (2m) No employer may require any employee or applicant for employment to pay the cost of a medical examination required by the employer as a condition of employment.

103.37(4) (4) Any employer who violates this section may be fined not more than $100 for each violation. The department shall enforce this section.

103.37 History History: 1977 c. 29 ss. 1034, 1035, 1654 (9) (a); 1977 c. 418; 1983 a. 189 ss. 155, 329 (4); 1993 a. 112; 1997 a. 253.

103.37 Annotation The state, its political subdivisions, and the counties are not employers under this section. 69 Atty. Gen. 103.

103.38 103.38 Eight-hour work day; applicability.

103.38(1) (1) Subject to sub. (2), in all engagements to labor in any manufacturing or mechanical business if there is no express contract to the contrary, a day’s work shall consist of 8 hours and all engagements or contracts for labor in a manufacturing or mechanical business shall be so construed.

103.38(2) (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to any contract for labor by the week, month or year.

103.38 History History: 1997 a. 253.

103.43 103.43 Fraudulent advertising for labor.

103.43(1) (1) 

103.43(1)(a) (a) No person may influence, induce, persuade or attempt to influence, induce, persuade or engage a worker to change from one place of employment to another in this state or to accept employment in this state, and no person may bring a worker of any class or calling into this state to work in any department of labor in this state, through or by means of any false or deceptive representations, false advertising or false pretenses concerning or arising from any of the following:

103.43(1)(a)1. 1. The kind and character of the work to be done.

103.43(1)(a)2. 2. The amount and character of the compensation to be paid for work.

103.43(1)(a)3. 3. The sanitary or other conditions of the employment.

103.43(1)(a)4. 4. The failure to state in any advertisement, proposal or contract for the employment that there is a strike or lockout at the place of the proposed employment, when a strike or lockout then actually exists in the employment at the proposed place of employment.

103.43(1)(b) (b) Any of the acts described in par. (a) shall be considered a false advertisement or misrepresentation for the purposes of this section.

103.43(1m) (1m) A strike or lockout is considered to exist as long as any of the following conditions exists:

103.43(1m)(a) (a) The usual concomitants of a strike or lockout.

103.43(1m)(b) (b) Unemployment on the part of workers affected continues.

103.43(1m)(c) (c) Any payments of strike benefits are being made.

103.43(1m)(d) (d) Any picketing is maintained.

103.43(1m)(e) (e) Publication is being made of the existence of a strike or lockout.

103.43(2) (2) Any person who, by himself or herself, or by a servant or agent, or as the servant or agent of any other person, or as an officer, director, servant or agent of any firm, corporation, association or organization of any kind, violates sub. (1) (a) shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one year or both.

103.43(3) (3) Any worker who is influenced, induced or persuaded to engage with any person specified in sub. (1) (a), through or by means of any of the acts prohibited in sub. (1) (a), shall have a right of action for recovery of all damages that the worker sustains in consequence of the false or deceptive representation, false advertising or false pretenses used to induce the worker to change his or her place of employment in this state or to accept employment in this state, against any person, corporation, company or association, directly or indirectly, causing the damage. In addition to all actual damages that the worker may sustain, the worker shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court, to be taxed as costs in any judgment recovered.

103.43 History History: 1993 a. 492; 1995 a. 225; 1997 a. 253.

103.43 Annotation This section applies only to manual laborers, particularly those in industrial labor. Bellon v. Ripon College, 2005 WI App 29, 278 Wis. 2d 790, 693 N.W.2d 330, 04-0515.

103.45 103.45 Time checks; penalty. All persons paying wages in time checks or paper, other than legal money, shall make those time checks or that paper payable in some designated place of business in the county in which the work was performed or at the office of the person paying the wages if within this state, or at any bank within this state. Any person failing to comply with this section shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $100.

103.45 History History: 1997 a. 253.

103.455 103.455 Deductions for faulty workmanship, loss, theft or damage. No employer may make any deduction from the wages due or earned by any employee, who is not an independent contractor, for defective or faulty workmanship, lost or stolen property or damage to property, unless the employee authorizes the employer in writing to make that deduction or unless the employer and a representative designated by the employee determine that the defective or faulty workmanship, loss, theft or damage is due to the employee’s negligence, carelessness, or willful and intentional conduct, or unless the employee is found guilty or held liable in a court of competent jurisdiction by reason of that negligence, carelessness, or willful and intentional conduct. If any deduction is made or credit taken by any employer that is not in accordance with this section, the employer shall be liable for twice the amount of the deduction or credit taken in a civil action brought by the employee. Any agreement entered into between an employer and employee that is contrary to this section shall be void. In case of a disagreement between the 2 parties, the department shall be the 3rd determining party, subject to any appeal to the court. Section 111.322 (2m) applies to discharge and other discriminatory acts arising in connection with any proceeding to recover a deduction under this section.

103.455 History History: 1989 a. 228; 1997 a. 253.

103.455 Annotation The consent of the employee may only serve as a basis for a deduction if it is given in writing after the loss and before the deduction. Donovan v. Schlesner, 72 Wis. 2d 74, 240 N.W.2d 135 (1976).