Latest Contractors Headlines

All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.

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...

Lisa Ebos Returns to Blue River Underwriters as SVP, Senior Underwriter of Contractors Programs

Dec 9 2019 // Atlanta, GA, December 9, 2019 — Blue River Underwriters, a Breckenridge Insurance Group company, welcomes the return of Lisa Ebos, CRIS, CPL as senior vice president, senior underwriter of the contractors’ programs...

Missouri Roofing Contractor Fined $205K for Exposing Employees to Fall Hazards

Dec 9 2019 // Federal workplace safety regulators have proposed just over $205,000 in penalties against a Missouri-based roofing contractor for exposing employees to fall hazards at three separate work sites. The U.S. Department of...

Factors that Contribute to Prolonged Recovery after California Wildfires

Dec 4 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. As strong winds further exasperate the prime weather conditions for wildfires in California, efforts to save lives and property are a foremost priority of emergency...

Missouri Contractor Faces $210K in Penalties for Workplace Safety Hazards

Nov 26 2019 // Federal workplace safety officials have proposed $210,037 in penalties against a Missouri contractor protect employees from trench collapse and electrical hazards. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety...

More Than $270K in Fines Issued Against Firms in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania

Nov 22 2019 // Investigations by the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Wage and Workplace Standards Division into complaints of workers being improperly employed at a large poultry plant in Bozrah has led to fines of more than...

California Trucking Association Suing over New Independent Contractor Law

Nov 14 2019 // The California Trucking Association and two California independent owner-operator truck drivers have filed an amended complaint with the U.S. Southern District Court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against...

Texas Warns of Insurance Deductibles Scam Following Dallas Storms

Oct 30 2019 // Texans with property in locations that were hit by the severe weather that swept through Dallas and North Texas on Sunday, Oct. 20 are now targets of a scam involving insurance deductibles, insurance regulators say. The...

McGriff, Siebels & Williams Expands in Midwest, Opens Kansas City Office

Oct 30 2019 // Specialty insurance broker McGriff, Siebels & Williams (McGriff) has launched an office in Kansas City led by industry experts Stacy Spurgeon, Paula Brennan and Vicky Owens. The team will tackle the new challenges...

Subcontracted Workers Most at Risk from Accidents in S. Korea’s Shipyards

Oct 30 2019 // Park Chol-hee was working the holiday shift at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje shipyard on Labour Day, 2017, when a giant crane collided with another and crashed to ground, killing six people, including Park’s...

Hemp and CBD Remain Risky Businesses in Uncertain Legal and Gig Climate

Oct 30 2019 // Executives at Kirby Co.’s home office noticed an odd trend: Its door-to-door vacuum-cleaner salespeople were increasingly involved in the same side gig — pitching CBD oil. Kirby, whose parent company is owned...