Title 33, Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-102
§915 Invalid Agreements
Title 33 › CHAPTER 18 — LONGSHORE AND HARBOR WORKERS’ COMPENSATION › § 915
Summary
Employees cannot be made to pay part of the insurance premium their employer pays, or forced to contribute to an employer-run benefit fund or department that provides the required compensation or medical care and supplies. If an employer takes such money from an employee’s pay, the employer can be charged with a crime and fined up to $1,000. An employee also cannot agree to give up the right to receive compensation under this law.
Full Legal Text
Title 33, §915
Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)No agreement by an employee to pay any portion of premium paid by his employer to a carrier or to contribute to a benefit fund or department maintained by such employer for the purpose of providing compensation or medical services and supplies as required by this chapter shall be valid, and any employer who makes a deduction for such purpose from the pay of any employee entitled to the benefits of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.
(b)No agreement by an employee to waive his right to compensation under this chapter shall be valid.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
33 U.S.C. § 915
Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102