Many of New Jersey’s 1.7 million independent contractors have expressed alarm over the state Department of Labor’s proposed new rule codifying wage and employment law enforcement, saying it will especially impact a wide range of gig workers.
The department took more than three hours of testimony on the proposal at a June public hearing, where Rutgers Workplace Justice Lab analyst Jake Barnes described the rule’s intent: “…to enforce the law and not play whack-a-mole with employers trying to skirt the law and obligations by hiding behind regulatory uncertainty.”
The proposed rule clarifies a three-prong test used to classify workers as either independent or as employees of a company that would then have to also pay them benefits. The department said it is targeting companies that dodge employment laws.
Construction worker Diego Visero testified that he suffered employer abuse, stating through an interpreter, “We are constantly facing pressure to work faster and work harder — without breaks. We work many hours and don’t receive overtime pay, or even full pay.”
“Unscrupulous developers and contractors too often force construction employment into the underground economy, costing the public lost payroll taxes,” said Jennifer Mancuso, director of government affairs for NJ LECET, a labor-management cooperative. “Cutting workers off from essential benefits like health care, workers comp, social security and unemployment insurance.”
Most unions and workers rights groups have...
The offshore world has always attracted strong opinions. It’s complex, global, and full of moving parts that most people don’t fully understand. Mix that with online anonymity and you suddenly hav...