Gig Economy Renews Debate Over Whether Contractors Are Really Employees

Rich Meneghello of Portland was interviewed for the NPR article “Gig Economy Renews Debate Over Whether Contractors Are Really Employees.” This article discusses the growing number of independent contractors and legal disputes raising the question, are they being misclassified?

Popular gig platforms such as Uber and Handy are at the center of these court cases, but only one has reached a trial verdict. In the Grubhub case, a contractor sued to be considered an employee, with rights to minimum wage, overtime pay, and reimbursement of expenses because Grubhub controlled when and where he worked. GrubHub won for all the ways the contractor was unlike a traditional employee.

"He didn't receive performance evaluations, he didn't have to go through training or orientation, he didn't have to wear a specific uniform," says Rich. "Those are all the kinds of things that are really hallmarks of a typical employee-employer relationship."

Each case will have different circumstances, but independent contractors are working against workplace place laws crafted for full time employees, leaving them to be misclassified and vulnerable to exploitation.

To read the full article, visit NPR.