Teamsters Oppose Law Weakening Protections for Newspaper Drivers
Teamsters Joint Council 16 President George Miranda had the following statement on legislation recently signed by Governor Cuomo that would reduce employment protections for newspaper delivery drivers.
“At a time when our state is doing so much to increase wages and protect workers, it is a sad to see workplace protections taken away from an entire classification of workers.
“Under legislation signed by Governor Cuomo last week, newspaper delivery drivers can now be treated as independent contractors – not employees – and lose workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and the requirement that employers pay their fair share of payroll taxes.
“Three years ago, Governor Cuomo signed the Commercial Goods Transportation Fair Play Act, which set one standard for businesses that employ commercial goods drivers and protected drivers from being misclassified as independent contractors. The legislation signed last night undermines that principle by creating different standards for different employers and different industries.
“The Teamsters will continue to champion employment protections for all commercial drivers, and all workers in New York.”