employee misclassification News

OSHA Probe of Teen Worker’s Fall Uncovers Other Wage, Child Labor, Safety Issues

A federal investigation into why a 17-year-old worker – who fell 24 feet from the roof of a New Castle, Pennsylvania, home improvement store in October 2022 – was doing work that violated child labor laws led to a wider …

New Jersey Cites 5 Contractors for Employee Misclassification

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has issued stop-work orders to five out-of-state contractors – from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina – who misclassified workers performing construction work in New Jersey The state investigated four subcontractors …

Nebraska Restaurant, Owner Ordered to Pay Overtime, Comply with Wage Laws

A Kearney, Neb., pizza and burger restaurant and its owner have been ordered to pay $17,216 – $8,608 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages — to 13 workers after the U.S. Department of Labor found federal …

New Michigan Rules Target Contractor Payroll Fraud

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced changes in the state’s contracting process to ensure construction and other companies are not rewarded with government money for payroll fraud such as misclassifying workers as independent contractors. The move is designed to implement …

Louisiana Contractor Pays $495K in Back Wages in Misclassification Case

A southwest Louisiana contractor that provides nondestructive testing in Louisiana, Texas and Florida has paid $495,900 in back wages to 411 workers, the U.S. Department of Labor said. Versa Integrity Group Inc. of Sulphur erroneously classified wages as per diem …

Michigan AG to Target Worker Misclassification by Employers

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office will target businesses that cheat their employees of wages, pledging a forceful crackdown on what she called an under-the-radar problem that also lets companies dodge taxes. “Our office intends to be as …

Jobless Ranks May Be Inflated by Millions of Gig Workers

The hardest people to pin down in America’s labor market may be the gig workers: How many hours do they put in, where, and just how many are out there? The Labor Department, in a report Wednesday, said there are …

Suit: Uber Saved $500M a Year by Misclassifying California Drivers as Independent Contractors

Uber Technologies Inc. may be saving more than $500 million a year by misclassifying its California drivers as independent contractors, according to a lawsuit that claims the ride-hailing company is flouting a ruling by the state’s highest court. Uber avoids …

Louisiana Ramps Up Effort to Prevent Employers from Misclassifying Workers

Several state and federal government entities partnering on a Louisiana task force to target employers who misclassify workers plan increased activity in 2018, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC). The LWC’s Unemployment Insurance and Office of Workers’ Compensation divisions …

On-Demand Cleaning Service Workers Are Employees, U.S. Labor Board Says

The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against the digital on-demand platform Handy Technologies Inc., alleging that workers who provide its home cleaning services are employees despite the company’s claims to the contrary. The case is one of …