From the National Law Review, Guy Brenner and Carolyn M. Dellatore report that Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed legislation that would have created a special test for classify newspaper carriers as employees or independent contractors for purposes of unemployment, minimum wage and workers’ compensation laws. Guy and Carolyn writes:
Newspapers and similar publishers have a long history of contracting with independent contractors to provide delivery services. In 2000, the New York State Department of Labor recognized the need to provide a standard by which these common contractual relationships could operate without creating an employment relationship, and published “Guidelines for Determining Worker Status: Newspaper and Shopping Guide Publishing Industry.” However, these Guidelines have not been consistently applied and Bill 7753 was an attempt to codify a “common sense test” by which newspapers, delivery persons and agency staff could easily determine an individual’s employment status.
In vetoing the Bill, Governor Cuomo stated that he has “strived to decrease misclassifications, increase compliance, and ensure that workers secure a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work with all of the appropriate protections available under the law.” He concluded that “[t]his bill would not advance these goals” because it would “exclude certain workers from the basic protections afforded under unemployment insurance, minimum wage, and workers’ compensation laws.”
Source: New York Governor Cuomo Vetoes Bill Creating Independent Contractor Test For Newspaper Carriers
