The ride-hailing giants – Uber and Lyft – continue to push the model.

The introduction of a new federal legislation in late July presages the spread of independent contractor status beyond app-based workers.

The Worker Flexibility and Choice Act, backed by lobbying groups from well-known names such as Google, Kroger, and Target, “wouldn’t just help Uber and Lyft treat their drivers as independent contractors, but exempt virtually any American worker from minimum wage and overtime protections,” according to Slate Magazine. “They’re coming for everyone,” wrote Bryce Covert, author of the article.

Under the legislation, any worker who signs a “worker flexibility agreement” would be deemed an independent contractor, which means no minimum wage or overtime protections benefits

The bill is unlikely to become a reality anytime soon, as it has not been assigned to any committee, according to Covert. Still, it reveals these giant companies’ ambitions for the future of labor. The wording of the legislation emphasizes worker “flexibility,” but critics claim this new model would favor employers, not workers.

“This bill would dramatically upend labor standards,” Brian Chen, senior staff attorney at the National Employment Law Project told Slate. As a law, it might initially be most common in low-wage service sector jobs. But it would theoretically be a desirable alternative for any employer, including those of the “more professional or managerial-style jobs,” Chen said. If so, a...

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