Labor Dept. reverses 2 rules from Trump era
The Labor Department has announced two moves to reverse rules issued under the Trump administration that narrowed the protection of federal law for millions of workers.
One of the rules announced this week was likely to have deemed millions of workers in industries like construction and transportation — many of them gig workers — to be contractors rather than employees.
The department had finalized the rule in January, two weeks before President Joe Biden’s inauguration. But the Biden administration has delayed the rule’s effective date until May, a step toward rescinding it. The rule would probably have made workers like Uber drivers ineligible for the federal minimum wage and overtime pay, which apply only to employees.
Industry officials have estimated that treating gig workers as employees can raise labor costs by 20% to 30%, and Uber and other gig companies have fought on multiple fronts over the years to classify workers as contractors.
The department said it was also moving to undo a second rule enacted by the Trump administration, this one governing when a company should be considered a so-called joint employer alongside franchisees or contractors that directly employ a worker.
Franchisees and contractors often have limited resources to pay legal penalties related to violations of minimum-wage and overtime laws, so a more expansive joint employer rule makes it more likely that employees can be made whole if a violation has occurred.
The Trump rule had narrowed the circumstances under which a company could be considered a joint employer.
Ron DeSantis’ refusal to pardon Desmond Meade makes sense for DeSantis (“A good day gone bad as Gov. DeSantis rejects a pardon for Desmond Meade,” March 12). A pardon would likely cost votes from the support he has in common with Trump. The Democratic voters wouldn’t vote for DeSantis anyway, even if he pardoned Desmond Meade.
DeSantis is following the Democratic insistence to “follow the science,” but in this case, it’s the science of political mathematics.
James Weatherspoon St. Cloud