Sweeney Urges Follow Through on Effort to Prevent Misclassification of Workers

Trenton – The year-long wait for action by the task force established by the governor to stop the misclassification of workers has allowed unscrupulous developers and contractors to continue to ignore the labor laws intended to protect workers’ rights.

In May of 2018, Governor Murphy signed an executive order establishing the Task Force on Employee Misclassification to investigate employee misclassification and develop recommendations to enforce compliance with the laws “ensuring adequate workplace protections and providing employment-related benefits like unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.”

To date, the task force has failed to produce any public results.

“The construction industry has been plagued by the dishonest and illegal actions of unscrupulous developers and contractors and we are all paying the price,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “The misclassification of workers has resulted in wage theft, off-the-books payments, underfunding workers’ compensation and avoiding taxes. They are exploiting workers for their own gain.”

Employers often misclassify their employees intentionally in order to reduce labor costs, avoid paying state and federal taxes, and boost their own profits.

“Protecting workers’ rights is an important function of government and there should be follow through on the intended work of the task force,” said Senator Sweeney. “During this delay, workers are losing benefits, wages and other compensation. It should be brought to an end.”