In this video, Muhammad Rashid of Pakistan, crushes 39 cans in 30 seconds. With his head. (I like the little fist pump he gives at the end.)
Why would a person do this? To get attention, I imagine. It caught my attention.
The House Committee of Education and the Workforce may also be trying to solicit a bit of attention, but I do want to know the answers to the Committee’s questions.
On August 8, they sent this letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, asking her for information about the DOL’s enforcement activity under its new independent contractor rule. The Committee would like the DOL to answer three questions:
1) Since January 20, 2021, how many instances of misclassification have Wage and Hour Division (WHD) inspectors found? Please provide the total number of instances across each occupation that has been subject to investigation.
2) Please provide the number of misclassification enforcement investigations WHD has initiated for each specific industry sector since January 20, 2021.
3) Has DOL initiated any investigations related to misclassification based on its coordination with the National Labor Relations Board and the Federal Trade Commission? If so, please provide the number of investigations DOL has undertaken, broken down by each specific industry segment.
Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-not from Virginia) writes that she asked Su these questions when Su appeared before the Committee on May 1, but Su failed to answer. The letter begins by knocking Su around a bit, alleging that the DOL with its new independent contractor rule is trying to destroy all independent contractor relationships.
Maybe yes, maybe no. I don’t know where this letter falls on the continuum of publicity stunt vs. actual relevance for policy making, but I think these are good questions. It would be hopeful for businesses to know whether the DOL’s enforcement strategy has shifted since enactment of the new rule. And if so, how.
The Committee might get the answers it seeks, or it might just be banging its head against the wall cans. But it never hurts to ask.
What Mr. Rashid was doing, on the other hand, does hurt. Or it should hurt. And if it doesn’t hurt, then maybe that tells us something too. Also, I think Mr. Rashid owes someone the cost of 39 beers.
© 2024 Todd Lebowitz, posted on WhoIsMyEmployee.com, Exploring Issues of Independent Contractor Misclassification and Joint Employment. All rights reserved.
