Independent Contractors

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On May 1, 2025, the United States Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Wage and Hour Division announced it would not enforce or apply the Biden-era 2024 Final Rule regarding independent contractor classification (“2024 Rule”). Specifically, the DOL directed its investigators “not to apply the 2024 Rule’s analysis” in enforcement matters. The DOL’s announcement will undoubtedly make it easier to classify workers as independent contractors at the federal level—and continues a seesaw of regulatory pull-back from Biden-era directives. While the 2024 Rule does remain in effect for private litigation and certain state-specific tests still impose higher worker classification standards than the current federal guidelines, the DOL’s announcement is a win for employers seeking to classify workers as contractors.Continue Reading DOL Retracts Biden-Era Independent Contractor Classification Rule

On November 2, 2023, the New York City Council passed a bill[1] requiring the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”), in coordination with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (“MOIA”), the New York City Commission on Human Rights (“NYCCHR”), and community and labor organizations, to create and publish a workers’ bill of rights.Continue Reading New York City Employers Must Display Workers’ Bill of Rights Poster Beginning July 1, 2024

On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its final rule that revises its guidance regarding the standard for assessing whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The final rule rescinds the DOL’s previous final rule that was published at the end of President Trump’s term of office in January 2021. As we previously reported in the wake of the issuance of the Department of Labor’s October 13, 2022 proposed rule, the final rule returns to a totality-of-the-circumstances analysis akin to the “Economic Reality Test.” This new final rule ultimately has the effect of making it more difficult to classify workers as independent contractors. The new final rule goes into effect on March 11, 2024.Continue Reading The Department of Labor Issues New Final Rule for Independent Contractor Classification

On June 13, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board” or “NLRB”) overturned another business-friendly Board decision in favor of a return to a more employee-favorable standard for determining if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). Independent contractors are exempt from the rights and protections of the NLRA, including the right to form and join unions.Continue Reading NLRB Overturns Standard for Independent Contractor Status Under the NLRA

On October 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its proposed rule regarding the classification of employees and independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) in an attempt to resolve inconsistent analyses amongst the Federal Courts of Appeals. The proposed rule would return to a totality-of-the-circumstances analysis of the “Economic Reality Test” (with a few modifications), which would have the effect of making it more difficult to classify workers as independent contractors.Continue Reading The Haunting Return of the Economic Reality Test: U.S. Department of Labor Proposes Resurrecting the Pre-Trump Era Employee/Independent Contractor Test

In a recent opinion in Hill v. Walmart Inc., the Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of Walmart on Hill’s claim for waiting time penalties under Labor Code section 203, finding there was a good-faith dispute about whether Hill was properly classified as an independent contractor of Walmart.
Continue Reading Good Faith Dispute Over Employment Relationship Allows Walmart to Escape Waiting Time Penalties

On Monday, the Ninth Circuit vacated a judgment for Grubhub, Inc. and against a former food delivery driver, Raef Lawson, who claimed that he was misclassified as an independent contractor when he performed food delivery services.  Lawson had asserted claims for minimum wage, overtime, and expense reimbursement.
Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Reversed Grubhub’s Victory on Independent Contractor Classification in Light of the Retroactive Application of Dynamex

On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced it is officially withdrawing, effective May 6, 2021, the rule promulgated under the Trump administration addressing the standard to determine whether an individual is properly classified as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).  The rule, which was rolled out two weeks before the end of President Trump’s term, was initially scheduled to take effect on March 8, 2021 but was delayed by President Biden until May 7, 2021.
Continue Reading U.S. Department of Labor Announces Withdrawal of Trump-Era Independent Contractor Rule

In a decision of considerable significance in the world of wage and hour litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit significantly departed from conventional standards for assessing conditional certification under Section 216(b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).  In Swales v. KLLM Transport Services, Inc., the Fifth Circuit rejected the conditional certification process entirely and drastically altered the procedure for assessing whether potential members of a collective action under the FLSA are “similarly situated.”
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Shuts Down FLSA Conditional Certification

On January 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced its final rule (the “Final Rule”) setting the standard to determine whether an individual is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The employee versus independent contractor debate has garnered significant attention over the years as more workers desire the flexibility that comes with contractor status. While the Final Rule – the DOL’s first codification of the independent contractor test – offers businesses, workers, regulators, and courts predictable guidance, it is unlikely to remain in its current form since it does not take effect until over one month after President-elect Biden takes office. Nonetheless, employers and businesses should understand the import of the Final Rule and continue to monitor federal and state law developments on this important topic.
Continue Reading U.S. Department of Labor Finalizes New Rule Setting Forth Test to Assess Employment Versus Contractor Status; But Will It Survive Under the Biden Administration?

In yet another decision concerning gig economy businesses, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department upheld a decision of the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board (the “Board”), which held that Uber exercised sufficient control over its drivers to qualify as their employer.  Accordingly, it found Uber to be liable for unemployment insurance contributions with respect to the drivers at issue.
Continue Reading Battle Over Rideshare Worker Classification Continues: New York Supreme Court Holds Uber Drivers Are Employees, Entitled to Unemployment Insurance