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. …
The folks who craft trailers make regular use of a particular species of musical cue: a sustained droning growl of a note, signaling looming menace. […]
