On June 7, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced the withdrawal of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2015 and 2016 joint employment and independent contractor informal guidance. According to a DOL press release, “removal of the administrator interpretations does not change the legal responsibilities of employers under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, as reflected in the department’s long-standing regulations and case law.”
The announcement shortly preceded Secretary Acosta’s appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for a hearing on the White House budget proposal.