Latest Contractors Headlines
All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Carrozza Joins Texas Associates Insurors as Risk/Insurance Advisor
Mar 30 2020 // Texas Associates Insurors has hired Brad Carrozza as its newest risk and insurance advisor. He is based in Austin. Carrozza’s specialization is focused on quarries, equipment rental operations, utility and pipeline...
New York Court Rules Gig Drivers Are Employees Eligible for Unemployment Benefits
Mar 27 2020 // Drivers for the online food delivery service Postmates Inc. are employees who are eligible for state unemployment insurance, New York’s top court has ruled. The ruling upsets the “gig” business model of...
Massachusetts Contractor to Pay for Clean-Up Costs Following Chemical Explosion
Mar 26 2020 // A Sutton, Mass.-based contractor has agreed to pay $120,000 to reimburse the state for the cost of responding to a 2017 explosion and fire of a backyard shed at a Shrewsbury residential property, Massachusetts Attorney...
As Coronavirus Threatens Gig Workers, Uber Presses for New Worker Classification
Mar 25 2020 // As independent contractors, U.S. ride-hail drivers for Uber and Lyft benefited from soaring trip demand and flexible work hours. But as the coronavirus brings large parts of the country to a halt, drivers and companies are...
Construction Contractor Getting $184M in Colorado Settlement
Mar 23 2020 // The Denver International Airport has settled a dispute for more than $180 million with a contracting company that was fired before completing a terminal renovation project. The airport filed an agreement Friday in a...
White Mountains’ NSM Insurance to Buy UK’s Kingsbridge Group
Mar 23 2020 // NSM Insurance Group (NSM), a Pennsylvania-headquartered managing general underwriting agency and program administrator for specialty insurance programs, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Kingsbridge Group...
Uber Drivers Take Backseat in Clash Between Safety and Customer Privacy
Mar 11 2020 // Margaret Bordelon can still feel the hands of the drunk man who tried to pull her in for a kiss at the end of his Uber ride last September in Lafayette, Louisiana. An Uber driver for only a few months, Bordelon, 45,...
Board Finalizes Rule Scaling Back Joint Employer Liability for Franchisees, Contractors
Mar 9 2020 // A U.S. labor board finalized a rule that will make it more difficult to hold companies liable for unlawful labor practices by franchisees and contractors, reversing a more worker-friendly Obama-era standard criticized by...
Louisiana Contractor Pays $495K in Back Wages in Misclassification Case
Mar 6 2020 // 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...
PG&E Fires Contractor After Probe Involving California Wildfires
Feb 26 2020 // Pacific Gas & Electric has fired a contractor hired to haul debris from the site of a deadly 2018 Northern California wildfire, saying the company was over-billing the utility and paying “large sums of money and...
Board Finalizes Rule Scaling Back Joint Employer Liability for Franchisees, Contractors
Feb 25 2020 // A U.S. labor board on Tuesday finalized a rule that will make it more difficult to hold companies liable for unlawful labor practices by franchisees and contractors, reversing a more worker-friendly Obama-era standard...
Washington Fines Contractor for Blasting Violations, Worker Safety Issues
Jan 31 2020 // A reportedly unsafe blasting operation in Spokane, Wash., that put workers and the public at risk has resulted in an Idaho-based drilling company losing its license to perform similar work in Washington. The Washington...
California Insurance Wholesalers Look at Gig Economy Law
Jan 27 2020 // A sweeping California gig economy law was the focus of a lot of the talk this year during an annual insurance wholesalers conference. Assembly Bill 5, California’s gig worker law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in...
Liberty Mutual Surety Launches Product Line for Small, Mid-Size Contractors
Jan 17 2020 // Liberty Mutual Surety has launched a new product line dedicated to contract transactional and small- to mid-sized surety business. Liberty Mutual Surety Plus is available through independent agents and serves contractors...
Gig Economy Law Talk of California Insurance Wholesalers Conference
Jan 15 2020 // A sweeping California gig economy law was the focus of a lot of the talk this year during an annual insurance wholesalers conference. Assembly Bill 5, California’s gig worker law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in...
Uber Halts Upfront Ride Pricing in Response to New California Worker Law
Jan 9 2020 // Uber Technologies Inc. on Wednesday informed its California customers that it would switch to providing estimates as opposed to fixed prices for its rides in response to a new law that makes it harder to qualify its...
Commentary: Are You Ready, Nevada? Nine New Laws for the New Year
Jan 3 2020 // Don’t let hindsight be 2020. While others are enjoying the holidays and a well-deserved break, Nevada businesses should “check their lists twice” to make sure they are compliant with a host of new laws...
Uber, Postmates Sue to Overturn California Gig Worker Law as Unconstitutional
Dec 31 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. and Postmates Inc. sued the state of California, alleging that a labor rights law set to go into effect this week is unconstitutional. The lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court is a...
California ‘Gig’ Worker Law Affects Employers Inside and Outside the State
Dec 30 2019 // A California law that makes it harder for companies to treat workers as independent contractors takes effect next week, forcing small businesses in and outside the state to rethink their staffing. The law puts tough...
Supreme Court Lets Stand American Family Ruling Agents Are Independent Contractors
Dec 12 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear an appeal brought by insurance agents of American Family Insurance Co. who have claimed they were wrongly classified as independent contractors and denied benefits. The...
