#WorkforceWednesday: New AB5 Exemptions, EEOC COVID-19 Updates, Joint-Employer Rule Partially Struck Down - Employment Law This Week®
Episode 13: NYC's New Freelancer Protection Law And The Future Of The On-Demand Economy
On April 3, 2025, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (“DOL”) filed proposed new rules codifying its interpretation of the statutory ABC test to determine whether an individual is considered an...more
Last month, the most significant legal development in the area of independent contractor (IC) compliance and misclassification was on Capitol Hill. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a Senate Republican who chairs the Senate Health,...more
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Industry (the Department) announced on April 28, 2025, that it was filing a notice of a proposed regulation addressing the test for independent contractor (IC) status under New Jersey...more
The most significant development last month in the law of independent contractors was not one of the four cases we summarize below but rather a bill passed by the New York Senate. ...more
Few federal regulations over the past five years have produced more needless concern by stakeholders than the independent contractor rules under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) issued by the different...more
Governor Tim Walz has signed into law significant changes to Minnesota’s independent contractor and employment laws. Effective July 1, all employers, as well as their owners, risk significantly increased penalties for...more
Many companies with independent contractors working in Oregon recently received correspondence from the Oregon Department of Justice’s Division of Child Support (“Division”) reminding them of new reporting obligations with...more
Vetoed in 2022, subsequently signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul last year, and rolled out with a delay, New York State's Freelance Isn't Free Act (FIFA) finally goes into effect on August 28, 2024. The legislation is...more
The nation continues to move to less-traditional employment relationships. As a consequence, the importance and impact of freelance workers (i.e., “independent contractors” or those compensated on an IRS 1099 Form) should not...more
A recently signed state law will soon protect New York freelance and contract workers from wage theft and delayed payments – and require businesses to put certain terms in writing. Businesses across the state will need to...more
On November 22, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (the “State Act”), Senate Bill S5026. This new law (codified as a new Section 191-d of the New York Labor Law) will require written...more
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed into law the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act,” which will provide protections for freelance workers, mirroring those already provided in New York City....more
On November 22, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed into law the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act” (“Act”), which was modeled after a similar law passed in New York City in 2017. The state law becomes effective on...more
On August 4, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA) (HB1122) into law, establishing strict protections for freelance workers. ...more
Key Takeaways - Gov. Hochul vetoed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act. Gov. Hochul vetoed the State Contractor Equal Pay Disclosure bill. New Versions of both bills may be reintroduced in next year’s legislative...more
This week, the Ninth Circuit grapples with a challenge to California’s law for classifying workers as a content-based regulation of speech. The Court holds that plaintiffs’ First Amendment challenge to California’s...more
For employers, the use of independent contractors to assist in business operations is an important option. Contractors typically provide flexibility and cost savings as they don’t receive overtime pay or employee...more
Thanks to powerful lobbying, last week the House of Representatives introduced a new bipartisan bill, the Worker Flexibility and Choice Act (the “Act”). This bill provides for a new classification of workers in between...more
In 2016, New York City enacted the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, a local law establishing protections for certain freelance workers providing services for entities located in the City. Earlier this month, the New York State...more
Executive Summary: Effective October 1, 2021, Florida businesses will be required to submit new hire information for their independent contractors to the Florida Department of Revenue. This is a significant change for...more
Florida has imposed a substantial new reporting requirement on employers and businesses who utilize independent contractors. Businesses need to be prepared; the new requirement takes effect October 1, 2021....more
On July 8, 2021, N.J. Governor Phil Murphy signed a package of bills expanding the power of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) to enforce state wage, benefit and tax laws, and enhancing penalties for...more
Governor Jim Justice recently signed into law Senate Bill 272, the West Virginia Employment Law Workers Classification Act (the “Act”), which goes into effect on June 9, 2021. The legislation provides standards for...more
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court held that the “ABC Test” for classifying workers as independent contractors applies retroactively. The high court first articulated this standard, which makes it tougher for...more
It was quite a week for the gig economy in California. This is the second of a two-part update; last week we reported on a union- and driver-led California Supreme Court challenge to Proposition 22, the November 2020 voter...more