SWACCA Submits Comments in Support of Proposed Rule to Rescind Trump-Era Independent Contractor Rule
On Nov. 3, the Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance submitted comments in support of the Department of Labor’s proposed independent contractor rule that would rescind the prior Administration’s rule that made it easier to classify employees in the construction industry and across the economy as independent contractors. The proposed rule replaces this regulation with a well-understood standard ground in 60 years of judicial precedents that SWACCA urged the Labor Department to adopt because it is easier to apply and will make it harder for employers to claim their workers are independent contractors. As you may recall, this proposed rule was necessary after a federal judge in May 2021 invalidated on procedural grounds the Administration’s previous attempt to rescind the problematic independent contractor rule.
SWACCA has long opposed the prior Administration’s independent contractor rule and advocated for its rescission. This advocacy included October 2020 comments SWACCA’s policy team submitted in opposition to the rule when it was originally proposed. SWACCA also filed comments in support of the Biden Administration’s proposed rule to rescind the Trump-era rule back in March 2021.