Camille Olson Quoted in Presstime

“Independent Contractors Draw Attention”

Camille Olson was quoted in the article, “Independent Contractors Draw Attention,” published in the October issue of Presstime, the flagship publication of the Newspaper Association of America. The article examines the newspaper industry’s classification of contract workers in light of pending legislation in Congress and states cracking down on employers that willingly misclassify workers.

Camille points out that the IRS and Labor standards include exemptions allowing newspaper carriers and distributors to be considered independent contractors. She notes, however, that newspapers should not be complacent in dealing with independent contractors: “No one is an independent contractor because of what a contract says.” Camille notes that what matters are factors involving how an employee is treated, like whether the contractor can provide services to other employers and if the contractor is economically dependent on the employer.