by Julie K. Adams, Esq., Littler Mendelson, Charlotte
On Aug. 22, 2012, Gov. Beverly Perdue issued Executive Order 125 establishing a task force to address concerns that North Carolina em??ployers are allegedly misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid obligations under federal and state laws, including laws governing wage-and-hour issues.
According to the order, the primary purposes of the ?Task Force on Employee Misclassification? are to:
?? ?[E]nhance coordination and communication among various state agencies?
?? ?[I]dentify effective mechanisms to combat unlawful practices like employee misclassification that harm workers.?
Seeking more complaints
The task force will be chaired by the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance and include heads of various state agencies, as well as representatives of other entities with expertise on these issues, such as the state?s Commissioner of Labor.
Of particular significance to North Carolina companies that use independent contractors, Perdue directed the task force to ?[i]dentify sectors of the economy where misclassification occurs most frequently? and ?[i]dentify ways to increase the filing of complaints by employees and other members of the public against noncompliant employers.?
One goal of the task force is to ?utilize a cooperative approach in working with employers and community groups? in an effort ?to reduce the prevalence of employee misclassification? through the promotion of education materials explaining the distinction between employees and independent contractors, and raising public awareness of the problems arising from misclassification.
Legal changes on the way?
The panel will also consider changes to North Carolina laws and regulations and work with state and local investigators and prosecutors to en??hance enforcement and develop procedures to ensure that ?appropriate? misclassification cases are referred for criminal prosecution.
Reports regarding the task force?s activities, including summaries of the panel?s accomplishments and proposed legislative and regulatory changes are due to the governor every six months.
________________________________________________________________
Julie K. Adams represents employers in all areas of employment law and has litigated a broad range of employment matters. Contact her at (704) 972-7000 or jkadams@littler.com.
Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!
Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...
We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.
The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.
" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33397/north-carolina-forms-task-force-on-worker-misclassification "
Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33397/north-carolina-forms-task-force-on-worker-misclassification
nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne mothers day gifts clippers lisa lampanelli lisa lampanelli
