Labor Department set to overturn Trump’s rules that restrict workers’ protections

The Labor Department decided Thursday to end two rules established under the Trump administration that cut federal labor protections for millions of workers.

The two rules both dealt with the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, a distinction that determines whether an employer is required to provide benefits, including health care.

In a statement, the agency said it was proposing changes to two rules instituted under the previous administration: the Independent Contractor Final Rule, adopted by the agency days earlier. President BidenJoe BidenManchin Confirms Key 50-50 Senate Vote Status The Memo: How COVID Year Shook Politics Post-Pandemic Plans For Lawmakers: Chuck E. Cheese, Visiting Friends, Grandchildren Hugging MORE took office in January, along with a regulation issued by the Labor Department under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was largely overturned by a court ruling last year.

“The mission of the Wages and Hours Division is to protect and respect the rights of workers. Canceling these rules would strengthen protections for workers, including essential frontline workers who have done so much in these difficult times, ”a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor said.

“Although legitimate independent contractors are an important part of our economy, the misclassification of employees as independent contractors prevents workers from accessing essential benefits and protections provided by law,” they added. would further protect workers’ wages and improve their welfare and economic security. “

The two rule change proposals come as the president has come under pressure from the left on the issue; California passed a voting initiative last year that weakened a state law that previously required rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as employees, a major defeat for activists who argued that these companies exploit workers by not offering them benefits.

Labor groups and activists moved earlier this year to challenge the voting initiative, calling it unconstitutional.

“This unconstitutional law, which the companies together bought with hundreds of millions of dollars in political spending, is an affront to the basic protections and rights that all workers deserve and should be quickly overturned by the courts,” the chief said. from the California Federation of Labor. in January.