The Labor Department decided on Thursday to end two rules established under the Trump administration that reduced federal labor protections for millions of workers.
Both rules deal with the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, a distinction that governs whether an employer is obliged to provide benefits, including medical care.
In a note, the agency said it was proposing changes to two rules instituted in the previous management: the Final Rule of the Independent Contractor, approved by the agency a few days before President biden
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“The mission of the Wages and Hours Division is to protect and respect workers’ rights. Repealing these rules would strengthen protections for workers, including essential frontline workers who have done so much during these difficult times, ”said a Labor Department spokesman.
“While legitimate independent contractors are an important part of our economy, misclassification of employees as independent contractors denies workers access to essential benefits and protections that the law provides,” they added. “In addition, removing a standard for employment A set that can be unduly restricted would further protect workers’ wages and improve their well-being and economic security. “
The two proposed rule changes come as the president faces pressure from the left on the issue; California passed an electoral initiative last year that weakened a state law that previously required ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as employees, a major defeat for activists who argued that such companies exploit workers by failing to provide benefits. .
Labor groups and activists acted earlier this year to challenge the electoral initiative, calling it unconstitutional.
“This unconstitutional law, which companies bought with hundreds of millions of dollars in political spending, is an affront to the fundamental rights and protections that all workers deserve and should be quickly overturned by the courts,” said the head of the California Federation of Labor. in January.