Menards runs afoul of the feds (again) for mistreating its truckers

Menards truckers aren’t technically employees. They’re “independent contractors,” a designation that allows Menards to avoid paying for their healthcare or any other benefits.

But while Menards doesn't offer the benefits of employment, it doesn't short all the restrictions. The truckers aren’t allowed to haul for competitors for up to a year after ending their contract. If they turn down a job because the compensation isn’t worth the time and the gas, they’re never given more work. And they’re forced to sign away the right to participate in class-action lawsuits.

“They work when Menards wants them to work,” says Seth Goldstein of the Office and Professional Employees International Union. “They have to buy a special truck that Menards has designed, so once they’re done with these trucks, they’re worthless. They basically don’t have any of the benefits of being an employee, but they have all the control aspects.”

Last week the National Labor Relations Board weighed testimony from both truckers and the company to conclude that the Eau Claire home improvement chain had again violated labor law by misclassifying its drivers. In short, it was paying them like contractors, but treating them like employees. (Menards ran afoul of the feds last year for making people sign mandatory arbitration agreements as a term of employment.)

Read more: http://www.citypages.com/news/menards-runs-afoul-of-the-feds-again-for-mistreating-its-truckers/408547705