My research (published
today) shows that workers across many occupations are “misclassified” as
independent contractors. As a result, they are not paid minimum wage or
overtime, nor do they receive worker’s compensation if they are hurt on the
job. Pension? No. Health insurance for these workers? No.
My research finds that
misclassification cases involve jobs in telecommunications (cable and fiber optic installers ); cleaning
services (maids and janitors ); protective services (security guards and police ) construction (drywall
installers, window and door
installers, carpenters, painters, HVAC technicians, and welders );
health care (nurses and ultrasound
technicians); distribution (warehouse workers and delivery workers ); local transportation (school bus drivers, cabbies, and ride share drivers ); industrial (garment workers, and restoration of aircraft wings );
computer-related (repair technicians, web design, and internet-based
work ); entertainment (exotic dancers), and project management (accounting and
auditing).
Abuses are prevalent
in these cases. For example, maids who were improperly classified as independent contractors by a Chicago-area cleaning company lost a $2,000
deposit they paid to secure work through this "Uber" version of home cleaning. Workers lost the deposit if
they quit before a date set by the cleaning firm. The practice is a variant of
peonage, a system of debt labor that is illegal in the U.S.
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