Last week, I made my debut in the Boston Globe’s Metro Section covering Rhode Island on behalf of Independent Women’s Forum. Here’s an excerpt:
To prevent forced misclassification, lawmakers should propose reforms like portable benefits to allow workers to maintain their independence yet apply for benefits as needed
Workers across America — including Rhode Islanders — should be empowered to choose their destiny and work arrangements. But Rhode Island Senate Bill 430 takes a page from the controversial California Assembly Bill 5 law that displaced countless California freelancers from the workforce.
If adopted, a sizable chunk of the state’s small business workforce would see their independent status jeopardized by the onerous ABC test used to determine employment status.
SB 430 copies California AB5′s language nearly verbatim. The proposal states a worker is assumed to be an employee unless he or she fulfills the following three criteria