The Supreme Court of California issued a ruling on April 30, 2018, which is likely to have a significant adverse impact on business owners. The primary issue in the matter of Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County was whether an entity that hires an individual worker can classify such a person as an employee or an independent contractor.
The ruling now creates a rebuttable presumption that such individuals are considered employees. The ruling, however, is limited to only California’s wage orders. As such, it would not currently apply in other contexts such as for workers’ compensation or for tax purposes. Therefore, an entity may be able to classify a worker differently depending on the context.
Wage Orders
In 1913, the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) was established in California in order to regulate wages, working hours, and working conditions. In 2004, the legislature of California defunded IWC, however, the wage orders established by IWC are still enforced to this day by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.
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