Press Releases
Teamsters Applaud Department of Labor Interpretation on Misclassified Workers
(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters Union applauds the findings in the U.S. Department of Labor Administrator’s Interpretation 2015-1, which recognizes the need to eliminate employee misclassification, citing the practice’s serious threat to workers’ rights.
The administrator’s interpretation pointed to the negative impact misclassification has on workers who are denied the benefits and protections they would be entitled to as direct employees including overtime compensation, family and medical leave, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and workplace safety.
“The Teamsters Union has been leading the fight against misclassification on both the state and federal levels for more than a decade,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “We have seen the negative impact of misclassification firsthand, as unscrupulous employers manipulate the system to not only deny workers the wages and benefits they rightly deserve, but prevent them from collectively bargaining. The administrator’s interpretation only reinforces what we have said for years – misclassification must be eliminated.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.