NJDOL Can't Dodge This
New Jersey's Labor Department didn't livestream its public hearing, so we got our own video of the testimony—and just broadcast some of it.
The State of New Jersey didn’t livestream last month’s public hearing about its newly proposed independent-contractor rule. No doubt, the bureaucrats at the Labor Department in Trenton didn’t want the public to see the kind of standing-room-only opposition that flooded our State House back in 2019, when legislators tried, and failed, to launch a similar attack against independent contractors.
Suffice it to say that we are onto their game after six years of being forced to fight our own government for the fundamental freedom to earn a living.
Our side, thanks to the generous folks at Save Independent Work, had a pro video guy at the New Jersey public hearing. He and I were the first ones to arrive, just after the building’s doors opened at 8:30 a.m. We snagged the best spot in the room to position our side’s camera for the 10 a.m. hearing. We didn’t back down when the bureaucrats arrived after us and questioned our setup.
We captured every single word of the standing-room-only opposition.
Now, with all of that video in hand, we are ready to shine a blindingly bright light on exactly what the freelance-busting brigade is trying to do right now in New Jersey—and why it matters to every single independent contractor all across the country.
See for Yourself
As I detailed here, witnesses at this public hearing were 3-to-1 against the proposed independent-contractor rule. Testimony at the scheduled two-hour hearing went on for more than three hours.
Don’t worry: You don’t have to slog through all of that. I’ve been going through the 30,000-word transcript—you can read highlights here—and I got a major assist with editing some video from the great Steve Johnson at the Rideshare Rodeo podcast. I told him where to find some of the important testimony—especially for folks doing app-based work on platforms like Uber, Lyft and Instacart, which his show covers—and then Steve pulled the clips for an episode that we broadcast live last week.
The people you’ll see testifying on this one-hour episode of Rideshare Rodeo include:
Robert Jackson, director of outreach and external affairs for the Flex Association, which represents Uber, DoorDash and lots of other app-based companies
Tom McNeil, senior government affairs manager at Instacart
Megan Sirjane-Samples, director of public policy at Lyft
Vince Ryan, regional vice president for the American Council of Life Insurers, representing more than 200 companies in that industry
Lisa Yakomin, president of the Bi-State Motor Carriers, representing close to 200 trucking-related companies at the Port of NY&NJ
Eric DeGesero of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, representing all kinds of truckers statewide
Yours truly, representing the grassroots advocacy group I co-founded, Fight For Freelancers
Here’s the one-hour episode of Rideshare Rodeo:
Why this Matters Everywhere
On this episode of Rideshare Rodeo, you’ll hear Steve and me explain why what’s happening in New Jersey matters to independent contractors all across the country. As we have seen again and again, for years now, if the freelance busters succeed in just one battlefield of this nationwide war on self-employment, they next try something similar or worse everywhere else.
To be clear: If this regulatory language gets through in New Jersey, we can expect the freelance-busting brigade to then take it to other states, Congress and the White House as soon as they see opportunities to strike. That’s what they’ve been doing ever since the disastrous Assembly Bill 5 passed in California’s Legislature, and that’s what is continuing right now at the New Jersey Labor Department.
And make no mistake: What they’re attempting to inflict in New Jersey right now, attorneys say, is even worse than the regulatory language of California’s AB5. They’re trying to make it even harder for us to hang out a shingle and be our own bosses, across hundreds and hundreds of professions.
As one lawyer wrote, this proposed New Jersey language “almost entirely eviscerates any chance for most ICs and companies using their services from establishing the workers’ IC status.”
That’s the freelance-busting brigade’s ultimate goal, to create a regulatory test that’s impossible for most or all independent contractors to pass.
And that’s why so many of us are fighting so hard to stop them.
What You Can Do
We have until August 6 to submit public comments against this proposed New Jersey rule. The folks at Save Independent Work have made it really easy to send a comment via email. Just click here and fill out the form.
Thousands of people have already watched the Rideshare Rodeo broadcast that Steve and I did live on Thursday night. And that’s just on his YouTube channel, over a long holiday weekend.
That’s how strong the nationwide opposition to freelance busting is.
And yes, you should stay tuned for more video from New Jersey’s public hearing—because a whole bunch of us have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure you’ll be able to see more of it soon.