TRENTON – Today, the New Jersey Labor Commissioner released the following statement in support of yesterday’s U.S. Department of Labor announcement on the withdrawal of the “Independent Contractor Rule,” effective May 6, in an effort to maintain workers’ rights to the minimum wage and overtime compensation protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“While this rule did not affect the Garden State because of our strong worker classification test, this decision will help reduce confusion and guard workers across the country from further undue hardship. Whether it was the need for unemployment benefits or earned sick leave, this pandemic has shown how crucial proper classification is to workers in New Jersey and across the country.”

“Under the Murphy Administration, combatting worker misclassification has been a whole-of-government approach with full support from the legislature, which passed every legislative recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Employee Misclassification. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Biden Administration to further enhance our efforts.”