#WorkforceWednesday: New AB5 Exemptions, EEOC COVID-19 Updates, Joint-Employer Rule Partially Struck Down - Employment Law This Week®
Episode 13: NYC's New Freelancer Protection Law And The Future Of The On-Demand Economy
For employers doing business in New York, the “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act (the “Act”) signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in March of this year may have stirred up memories of the New York City ordinance enacted just a...more
The nation continues to move to less-traditional employment relationships. As a consequence, the importance and impact of freelance workers (i.e., “independent contractors” or those compensated on an IRS 1099 Form) should not...more
California has gone to great lengths to limit independent contractor relationships and recently, the City of Los Angeles, created additional hurdles to the hiring and use of independent contractors or freelance workers. The...more
The nationwide growth of the “gig economy” has provoked the enactment of laws aimed at providing economic protection to freelance workers. In May 2023, the Columbus City Council joined this national trend by amending the...more
A new city ordinance in Los Angeles will take effect on July 1, 2023, which requires a written contract for many independent contractors and freelance workers who work in the city. This ordinance, known as the Freelance...more
The First Department of the Supreme Court, Appellate Division (the “Appellate Division”) recently issued the first appellate decision interpreting New York City’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act (FIFA). Plaintiffs – a photography...more
In what will have a significant impact on the employment status of “gig” economy workers under federal labor law, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) seems poised to revert to a more worker-friendly...more
Assembly Bill 5 regulates economic activity and not speech, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held, affirming dismissal of a suit brought by freelance writers and photographers challenging the...more
The retroactive application of Dynamex may permit a Grubhub driver’s suit alleging he was misclassified as an independent contractor, according to a new decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit....more
Executive Summary: Effective October 1, 2021, Florida businesses will be required to submit new hire information for their independent contractors to the Florida Department of Revenue. This is a significant change for...more
Florida has imposed a substantial new reporting requirement on employers and businesses who utilize independent contractors. Businesses need to be prepared; the new requirement takes effect October 1, 2021....more
The long-running battle over the classification of workers as independent contractors or employees in California continues, with a trial court judge striking down Proposition 22 and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to...more
This Legal Q&A two pager gives an overview of the potential problems of using contractors and freelancers in Germany, in particular the risk of misclassification. Incorrectly classifying an employee as a contractor can have...more
On July 8, 2021, N.J. Governor Phil Murphy signed a package of bills expanding the power of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) to enforce state wage, benefit and tax laws, and enhancing penalties for...more
On May 6, 2021, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) withdrew proposed rules set by the Trump Administration, which were originally intended to revise the test for classifying workers as independent contractors at the...more
On May 5, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule to withdraw a Trump-era independent contractor rule for determining how to classify workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL stated that...more
On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor withdrew the pro-business Independent Contractor Final Rule published in the final days of President Trump’s administration. This withdrawal follows the Department of Labor’s...more
It’s official – the U.S. Department of Labor has withdrawn the Independent Contractor Rule that was to become effective on May 7th. The rule – proposed by the DOL during the Trump administration – had overwhelming support...more
On May 5, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) confirmed it is withdrawing the rule promulgated under the Trump administration addressing how to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the...more
The Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act (H.R. 842, S. 420), would make extensive changes in US labor laws, including the PRO Act’s reformulation of “independent contractor” status. This is not a mere technical...more
Governor Jim Justice recently signed into law Senate Bill 272, the West Virginia Employment Law Workers Classification Act (the “Act”), which goes into effect on June 9, 2021. The legislation provides standards for...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) has officially published its notice proposing to withdraw the new rule – issued two weeks before the change in Presidential Administrations – allowing employers to more easily classify workers as...more
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court held that the “ABC Test” for classifying workers as independent contractors applies retroactively. The high court first articulated this standard, which makes it tougher for...more
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court held in Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising Int'l, Inc. that the ABC test for determining worker classification fashioned in its groundbreaking decision, Dynamex v. Superior...more
Since April 2018, when the California Supreme Court issued its Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, 4 Cal. 5th 903 (2018) decision, which radically changed the way in which courts differentiated between an...more