When outside forces pose a threat to people's livelihood, people will go to great lengths to fight back.
For example, when monkeys began ravaging the crops of a farmer in Karnataka, India, the imaginitive farmer painted his dog to look like a tiger, to scare away the pesky invaders. [Photo here.]
Business owners in California are taking more conventional measures to fight back againt the tyranny of Assembly Bill 5, the new California law that seeks to reclassify many of the state's independent contractors as employee. Here's a quick summary of the resistance:
- Owner-operator truckers claim the new California law cannot be applied to them because of a federal law (FAAAA) that prohibits states from enacting their own laws that affect the "price, route, or service of any motor carrier with respect to the transportation of property." They won a preliminary injunction last month, temporarily preventing the law from applying to them.
- Freelance writers and photographers are challenging the law too. The law has an exception for freelancers, but the exemption goes away if freelancers submit 35 or more pieces to a single publication. In other words, they're independent contractors for submissions #1 through #34, but they instantly become employees with submission #35. They argue that the exemption is arbitrary and violates their First Amendment and equal protection Rights.
- Rideshare and food delivery apps filed their own lawsuit, alleging that the exemptions are arbitrary and violate their equal protection and due process rights.
- Five gig economy app companies have contributed $110 million to a ballot measure that will be voted upon in the November 2020 election if the measure collects 625,000 signatures. The law would exempt app-based gig economy drivers from the new test if the companies provide workers with specific levels of pay, benefits, and rights, which are defined in the proposal.
- Republican lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment (A.C.A. 19) called the "Right to Earn a Living Act," which would overturn Assembly Bill 5 and enshrine in California law "the right to pursue a chosen business or profession free from arbitrary or excessive government interference." The amendment would reinstate California's S.G. Borello balancing test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee.
Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court is considering whether the 2018 Dynamex decision, which first imposed the ABC Test for wage and hour claims, applies retroactively. If it does, then businesses can be liable for failing to comply with a test that did not yet exist. Really.
That's a lot of action, and we'll continue to watch for new developments. Meanwhile, California businesses that use independent contractors should tread carefully, follow the status of legal challenges, and paint their dogs to look like tigers — just in case that turns out to be effective.
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