More Americans are independent contractors than ever before. That means they’re not protected by state and federal labor laws that cover employees. For workers in Michigan, the difference may mean protection from discrimination in the workplace or no protection at all.
Quite often, an employer may misclassify its workers as independent contractors rather than employees in order to avoid the requirement that they observe certain anti-discrimination laws or wage and hour practices. Factors to determine whether an individual is actually an employee rather than an independent contractor include the amount of control the employer has over the person’s work; the amount of independent authority the person exercise over his/her work; and the ability of the individual to also perform other work. An employment attorney can help you to determine whether you’ve been misclassified and therefore are entitled to additional workplace protections or additional income.
An employment law attorney can help clients determine whether they fall under an independent contractor or employee classification.
