Reprinted from The Washington Post by Eli Rosenberg on September 22, 2020.
The Department of Labor released a rule proposal on Tuesday that could make it more difficult for those engaged with contract work to be classified as employees, in what labor advocates described as a potential blow to protections for workers.
Labor advocates say the proposal would raise the threshold for contract workers, which includes gig workers, to be considered employees, a category that comes with significantly more protections.
The proposed rule is the first of a multistep process with potential consequences for millions of workers.
Under the proposal, the Department of Labor — which has the power to investigate worker complaints about misclassification — said it would adopt a few guidelines to test whether workers should be considered employees or contractors. …
“It can be scary to think about the state of the industry and the livelihood of the professionals in it, but my instinct has always been to lean on the community and to have solidarity in the face of that uncertainty.” […]