Independent Contractors

New Jersey is not f**king around with employee misclassification

July 13, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Since taking office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has committed to battling worker misclassification, i.e., treating employees as independent contractors. Misclassifying employees as independent contractors can deprive workers of wages and benefits and also have tax ramifications too. Continue reading

DON’T DO THIS: Misclassify your employees as independent contractors

May 7, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

United States Department of Commerce and Labor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

While not quite as outrageous as slavery, ignorance, or misogyny, today’s edition of “Don’t Do This” will apply most practically to readers of this blog. Continue reading

What’s the big difference between an independent contractor and an employee anyway?

January 7, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Tug of War by Creative Mania from the Noun Project

Sam spent 60 hours working on a project for your company last week, for which the business paid Sam $1,000. The company treated Sam as an independent contractor.

But, what if Sam was actually an employee instead? Continue reading

One HR lesson from two exotic dancers on misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

October 21, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Lantay77 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s getting hot in herrrrrrrrrrrrre!

Well, tepid. It’s an employment law blog, after all. Continue reading

How can you tell an employee from an independent contractor? I’ll explain in about two minutes.

September 23, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Employee versus independent contractor, who cares? The U.S. Department of Labor, that’s who.

(And that means you should too.) Continue reading

Here’s a sneak preview of some of the next possible federal stimulus plan, and what it could mean for your business

April 14, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay

Follow me. I’ll get you into the VIP area for a better view. Continue reading

The hits keep coming in NJ. This time we have new laws targeting independent contractor misclassification.

January 29, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

In what I hope does not become a weekly feature here at The Employer Handbook, it’s time to update the readers on some new laws that NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed last week. Continue reading

New legislation in NJ would make it much harder to use independent contractors

November 14, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Sandra Ferentschik from Pixabay

Yesterday, one of my favorite readers of the blog forwarded me a link to this article, “Sweeney-backed bill may eliminate independent contractors in N.J.”

That got my attention. Continue reading

New Jersey is teaming up with the DOL to crack down on worker misclassification

August 14, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Photo By: Airman 1st Class Anthony Nin Leclerec (https://www.jble.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2001874058/)

I feel like worker misclassification has been an issue that’s been flying under the radar for the last year or so, especially as it relates to independent contractors. Continue reading

Sorry, Busta Rhymes. You don’t get a “celebrity exception” for settling your wage-and-hour claim

May 21, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

By Mikamote [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Generally, if a wage and hour dispute arises in the workplace, the parties need approval from either the U.S. Department of Labor or a federal court to resolve claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

When parties agree to resolve these claims as part of litigation, two things often happen:

A court must approve the settlement; and
The settlement agreement becomes public; i.e., no confidentiality.

Recently, Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr. and the other parties to an FLSA action requested that a New York federal court relax the publicity rules by creating a “celebrity exception.”

Oh, you don’t know Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr.?

That’s Busta Rhymes!