Labor agency bucks courts to attack independent workers

© Associated Press/Greg Nash


https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/590337-labor-agency-bucks-courts-to-attack-independent-workers

BY F. VINCENT VERNUCCIO, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/22/22 07:00 AM EST 161THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

F. Vincent Vernuccio is president of Institute for the American Worker and a senior labor policy adviser for Workers for Opportunity. Follow him on Twitter @vinnievernuccio.

A federal agency responsible for administering labor laws is going after independent workers — again.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently took steps toward redefining who is an independent contractor and who is an employee. The move could limit self-employment options, making it harder for independent contractors to work for themselves. The change also would clear the way for unions to organize these workers, since entrepreneurs would get swept under the same legal status as employees. And that’s likely the real motivation.

Keep in mind that most of the board’s members align with President Biden. The party of the president is allowed to select three of the board’s five total members. So, unlike courts, the NLRB issues decisions that can swing wildly depending upon who is president.

It’s easy to see, then, why the board has been accused of bias since its inception. As far back as 1937, one senator called it a “kangaroo court,” reprimanding the board for its partisanship. And, as the issue of defining independent contractors shows, partisanship persists today.

FULL story at link above. Throw all the mud you want at this guy in your reply.