If your business relies on gig economy workers, you may want to review your policies on monitoring workers and requiring them to pay for training and equipment. That’s because the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced on Tuesday that it’s joining forces with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to address potential misconduct regarding workplace surveillance, monitoring, data collection, and employer-driven debt. The agencies said they will share information to enhance their enforcement efforts and better protect workers in the gig economy and other labor markets from harmful financial practices. What do you need to know about the new Memorandum of Understanding and its impact on the workplace?
Worker-Funded Training and Equipment Scrutinized
The NLRB and CFPB are sharing information in an effort to ensure workers are “more fully protected from bad actors, debt traps, and illegal labor practices,” according to a March 7 announcement.
Among other workplace practices, the agencies will be cracking down on employer requirements for workers to pay for training and equipment “that they might not need, or that may be more expensive or harmful than what they might purchase in a competitive market.” The rationale is that such practices may cause workers to go into debt to their employer or third parties. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said these so-called “debt traps” prevent workers from leaving one job for another and seeking better wages and working conditions....
Patricia White, 70, of Old Greenwich, received a nine-month prison sentence for submitting false claims for unclaimed properties to around 30 state treasuries. HARRISBURG, Pa. — Months after her br...