Category Archives: Gig Economy

02.19.18
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NLRB Smells Something Rotten, Seeks Input on Major Misclassification Decision

CA5ED89A-9590-4B8C-B8C6-88EEEED7168A

Screenshot from metro.co.uk

A flight from Dubai to Amsterdam made an emergency landing last week after a fight broke out over a passenger’s excessive flatulence. The two Dutchmen sitting next to the flatulator asked him to cut it out, but he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) stop spreading his perfumery around the cabin. A fist fight broke out and the pilot diverted the flying stinkship to Vienna, where several passengers were removed. Read more here.

Something smells rotten to the NLRB as well, four months after an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ruled that independent contractor misclassification, by itself, can be an unfair Continue reading →

02.15.18
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Gig Economy Workers Aren’t Saving for Retirement. That Might Cause You to Get Sued.

Gig economy savingsThe Drifters wanted listeners to save the last dance for them. Grand Funk Railroad wanted to save the land (album: E Pluribus Funk!!!). The Sex Pistols wanted to save the queen. Or they wanted God to do it for them. Lazy Sex Pistols.

But what about saving money? Not enough action there. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute found that the median (50th percentile) working-age family had just $5,000 in retirement savings. (Warning: It’s boring Boring BORING, but click here if you dare.)

Workers classified as employees can Continue reading →

02.12.18
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Python vs. Boa: Does the GrubHub Misclassification Ruling Really Matter? (Don’t Believe the Hype!)

Python vs boa - independentr contractor misclassification and grubhubPythons and boa constrictors usually do not fight each other. At least that’s what I learned in herpetology school. The reason they don’t fight each other is that there’s too much risk. The boa risks getting bitten by the python’s lethal fangs. The python risks being constricted to death because that’s how constrictors work.

For roughly the same reason, independent contractor vs. employee disputes rarely go to trial. There’s too much to lose. A company that relies on independent contractors for its business model cannot afford a ruling that all of its contractors are really employees. That’s why these cases almost always settle.

The GrubHub case, however, Continue reading →

02.01.18
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Like a Drunken Possum, NEW GIG Act Fails Again.

NEW GIG act possum

Screenshot from DailyDot.com, 12/3/2017

I feel bad for this little guy. This possum apparently broke into a Florida liquor store, knocked over a bottle of bourbon, and got sauced. Wildlife rescue picked him up and checked him into rehab (no, not that kind). Full coverage here at DailyDot.com.

I applaud the critter’s effort, though.

He probably feels a little like Senator John Thune (R-SD), who has repeatedly introduced a bill called the NEW GIG Act — designed to simplify tax law for independent contractor misclassification scufflaws. Every time he gets close, though, someone knocks him over the head with a bottle. Or something like that.

The NEW GIG Act has been introduced in Congress several times. If passed, it would Continue reading →

01.25.18
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Bad News for Businesses: California May Rewrite Test for Independent Contractor vs. Employee

Shark california independent contractor misclassification

California businesses already have to cope with the threat of earthquakes, wildfires, Sharknados, and the craziest employment laws in all the land. The California Supreme Court may be about to make things even harder for businesses that use independent contractors.

For years, disputes over whether someone is an independent contractor or employee under California wage and hour law have been analyzed under the test used in S.G. Borello & Sons, which is a hybrid test combining elements of the Right to Control Test with elements of the Economic Realities Test. It is a multi-factor balancing test.

That may be about to change.

[Note 4/30/18: It did change. Read more here.]

Continue reading →

01.22.18
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Will Changes to the Tax Code Reduce Claims of Independent Contractor Misclassification?

Unicorn independent contractor misclassification

Ha ha. Wishful thinking.

By now, we’ve all heard that the new tax code provides a 20% tax deduction for many small businesses, including potentially independent contractors. (More info here.) As a result, some workers might prefer to be called contractors instead of employees to take advantage of the new deduction. Contractor status may be particularly appealing to workers who don’t need health insurance or other employee benefits. But, as we covered here, it doesn’t matter what a worker wants. The facts of the relationship determine a worker’s classification, no matter what the parties want it to be.

Don’t expect this change in the tax law to mean that independent contractor misclassification claims are going away. They’re not. Continue reading →

01.18.18
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Should Businesses Reclassify Workers as Contractors for 2018? (Or, Why You Shouldn’t Paint Your Dog)

Independent contractortax plan - don’t paint your dog

The Republicans just threw a bone to independent contractors with their new tax law. What does that mean for businesses? Let’s examine.

Strategy question for businesses: Now that tax law provides more favorable tax treatment to independent contractors (see more here), should business reclassify workers as contractors for 2018?

If that’s your reason, then no.

Suppose a new law required ice cream shops to give free cones to dalmation owners. This would be a stupid law, but stay with me.

If I paint dots on a yellow lab, do I get free ice cream?

No, of course not. Even I call my yellow lab a dalmation, it’s still a lab.

Continue reading →

01.15.18
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How Does the New Tax Plan Affect Independent Contractors?

In 1985, Simple Minds released the song, Dont You (Forget About Me). Despite the most ridiculous looking dancing you can imagine (under a chandelier, in front of TV screens, adding to the mood ???), the video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards.

The preposterous dance moves are pretty simple, though, which seems fitting for a band named Simple Minds.

Simplicity is the overriding theme here. Despite the overall complexity of the newly enacted tax plan, one thing is simple: The tax plan is good news for independent contractors.

Continue reading →

01.04.18
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Join Me: 2018 Master Class Dates & Locations. Free Attendance.

ShowImage.ashxPlease join me and my BakerHostetler colleagues for the 2018 Master Class on Labor Relations and Employment: A Time for Change. I will be presenting on Labor Law Issues in the Gig Economy. Choose 6 of 12 courses in a full-day session. There is no charge for attendance.

Event dates and locations are:
Jan. 30 – New York
Feb. 27 – Los Angeles
Mar. 28 – Cincinnati

Register here. List my name under referring attorney so that I know to look for you.

Sessions include: Continue reading →

01.02.18
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School’s Back in Session: How Much Training Can You Give to Independent Contractors?

“We don’t need no education / We don’t need no thought control,” are the opening lines to Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall (Part II). “Teachers, leave them kids alone!”

The same advice can be given when retaining independent contractors. Contractors are supposed to be in business for themselves. They are expected to be competent in performing the types of activities they are being retained to perform. In several of the Independent Contractor vs. Employee tests applied to federal and state laws, the amount and type of training is a factor that can tilt the scales toward a finding of misclassification.

But sometimes, some training is needed. The key questions to ask yourself are, What type? And How much?

Continue reading →