Posts tagged Independent Contractor
New Jersey: ‘Billions of Dollars’
December 22, 2025 // Gonzalez and Asaro-Angelo are not the only people who have used the word billions. At the federal level, U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia claimed in a January 2024 press release that misclassification was a nearly $4 billion per year problem—citing this research from, you guessed it, the Economic Policy Institute. But in December 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that since January 2021—after nearly four full years of the Biden administration prioritizing the issue of employee misclassification nationwide—it had recovered only about $41 million in back wages for some 28,000 workers.
NJ Freelancer Advocate Kim Kavin Honored with I4AW’s Defender of Worker Freedom Award
December 19, 2025 // “Kim Kavin continues to publicize the struggles independent workers face against government overreach and bring real life context to how specific regulations would hinder their ability to prosper,” said I4AW President F. Vincent Vernuccio. Kavin is a lifelong writer and editor who started as a freelancer in 2003 after a decade in staff roles. In 2019, she co-founded the grassroots advocacy group Fight for Freelancers, where she organized and educated thousands of independent contractors.
I4AW Presents 2025 Defender of Worker Freedom Awards to Rep. Onder and Kim Kavin
December 15, 2025 // “Both Rep. Onder and Kim Kavin have used their unique positions to stand up for the American worker,” said I4AW President F. Vincent Vernuccio. “Rep. Onder has been a leader in Congress, keeping workers at the center of developing labor legislation. Kim Kavin continues to publicize the struggles independent workers face against government overreach and bring real life context to how specific regulations would hinder their ability to prosper.”
Ocean County Leaders Raise Concerns over NJDOL’s Proposed Gig Worker Rule
November 25, 2025 // “The State’s one-size-fits-all rule may hurt the very people it claims to protect; the independent workers, small businesses, and local economies that depend on flexibility and Ocean County’s local contractors, tradespeople, and entrepreneurs that rely on flexible work arrangements,” Ocean County Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione said on Monday. “The State should not be penalizing them for working independently.”
Likely 1st AB5 trucking enforcement action in California snags 3 companies
November 18, 2025 // The combination of penalties assessed plus interest totals $868,127.76. Of that, about $663,000 is expected to be paid to employees. California’s action is not a settlement with the three companies. Sources said the three are expected to appeal and the LCO spokeswoman said the case remains “in litigation.” According to state documents, the appeals process is not in state or federal courts, though presumably an unhappy company could turn to those venues at some points. Rather, they are with the state’s Labor Commissioner.
Newt’s World Episode 899: Employee Rights Act
October 13, 2025 // Newt talks with Vincent Vernuccio, President of the Institute for the American Worker about the Employee Rights Act of 2025, a legislative proposal aimed at enhancing and safeguarding the rights of American workers while promoting fairness and accountability in the workplace. Introduced by Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Rick Allen, the bill represents a Republican vision for the workforce, focusing on empowering workers, improving unions, and fostering innovation and growth. Vernuccio highlights the outdated nature of current labor laws,
Commentary: AB 1340 Is a Death-Knell to Rideshare Independence for California Drivers
October 9, 2025 // Long odds predict that, just as with the fallout from AB5, rideshare drivers will ultimately not like the end result. Just as California’s AB5 has infected the nation, with AB5-like restrictive measures being considered in Minnesota and New Jersey, this new California law is a bellwether to the erosion of the rideshare model in other states.
Commentary: ‘The Safety of Our Children’
September 11, 2025 // Here’s an interesting perspective from within the estimated 8,300 public comments that the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development uploaded last week, with regard to its proposed independent-contractor rule. Denise Lanza, co-chair of the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association Public Affairs Committee, filed a comment that explains how the rule-making would make it a challenge for the statewide parks and recreation community to hire people like youth league umpires and coaches, or yoga instructors for senior citizens at community centers.
Trucking industry reacts to Trump administration move to protect independent contractors
September 5, 2025 // According to the ATA, for more than 90 years, independent contractors have played a vital role in trucking, providing flexibility for drivers and capacity for the supply chain. More than 350,000 professional truck drivers choose to run their own businesses, set their own hours, and chart their own routes.