Commentary: Questionable Opinion About the Gig Economy

As OnLabor covered last week, the Department of Labor recently issued an “opinion letter” finding that the workers deriving income from an unnamed “virtual marketplace company” are independent contractors and …

Commentary: Jurisdiction, access to remedy in business and human rights cases, and the corporate structure: A tale of two cases

This note introduces two cases, both concerned with liability under a duty of care of parent companies, the obligation of ‘due diligence’ in supply chain operations and the obstacles presented …

Modern Cleaning Concept Inc. v. Comité paritaire de l’entretien d’édifices publics de la région de Québec, 2019 SCC 28 (CanLII)

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that a cleaner who had a franchise agreement with Modern Cleaning Concept Inc. was an employee, not an independent contractor, under the Quebec Act Respecting …

,

Commentary: Jabir et al vs. KiK: Do EU companies have an extraterritorial duty towards suppliers in global production chains?

Multinational companies not only maintain subsidiaries in multiple jurisdictions but have increasingly outsourced production to independent suppliers. Industrial disasters like the Ali Enterprises (AE) factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan, or …

VAZQUEZ v JAN-PRO FRANCHISING

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the California Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 Dynamex decision, which makes it harder for businesses to classify their workers as independent contractors, …

Commentary: How to Fight Sexual Harassment at Work? Empower Women Workers through Trade Unions

No-one was within earshot, but Roja (not her real name), a garment worker, spoke in whispers as we walked in a park on a Sunday, her day off, in Mysore …

Law and Politics in Employee Classification

As has been widely reported, the U.S. Department of Labor issued an “opinion letter” yesterday concluding that an unnamed “virtual marketplace company” does not employ the workers who make the company …

THREE SECTORS, THREE YEARS LATER: Progress and Gaps in the Fight Against Forced Labor

“Violations of the rights of workers persist in today’s corporate supply chains. In articles published in the months ahead of the writing of this report, workers cited an array of …

,

Ethiopia is a North Star: GRIM CONDITIONS AND MISERABLE WAGES GUIDE APPAREL BRANDS IN THEIR RACE TO THE BOTTOM

As global brands continue their relentless quest for low-cost production locations, Ethiopia is emerging as a coveted destination. This report presents the results of an investigation of the labor rights …

DOL Wage and Hour Letter to Virtual Marketplace Company re Employment Status

The letter was written for an unnamed “virtual marketplace company” that operates in the gig economy. DOL described a VMC as an online and/or smartphone-based referral service that connects service …

CLOSE