Back in 2015 and 2016, the DOL issued extensive regulatory guidance on independent contractors and joint employment that were essentially broad announcements of the agency’s changing (and much more employee friendly) views on the topics. Many employers greeted this guidance unfavorably, and felt the DOL was attempting to skirt the traditional regulatory process.
Today, in perhaps the first concrete sign of the new administration’s more business friendly posture, the DOL announced the withdrawal of that guidance (Administrator’s Interpretations No. 2015-01 (July 15, 2015, on independent contractors) and No. 2016-01 (Jan. 20, 2016, on joint employment)).
Whether Trump’s DOL intends to take concrete steps to undue the prior administration’s labor related agendas remains to be seen, but this is certainly a sign of a changing tide.
Workplace Law, Helping Employers 