Punching In: Gig Companies Want ‘Safe Harbor’ in Contractor Rule

Monday morning musings for workplace watchers

Safe Harbor Sought | OSHA Inspections | Biden and OSHA’s Top Job

Ben Penn: The Labor Department’s independent contractor rule is generally seen as re-interpreting wage-hour law in businesses’ favor, but gig-economy companies want even more legal cover.

That’s one of the biggest takeaways from the initial batch of comments filed with DOL ahead of this evening’s midnight deadline for public input on the proposal.

Management-side behemoth Littler Mendelson’s lobbying arm, the Workplace Policy Institute, called on the department to add a safe-harbor provision to the rule, according to a comment letter it ...