Governor Evers is moving forward with a plan to crack down on employers failing to pay workers fairly.
The Department of Workforce Development is getting more resources to stop employers from falsely claiming actual employees as independent contractors. State unemployment administrator Mark Riehl says the state wants to protect both taxpayers and employees.
“Employers who misclassify are not paying their unemployment insurance taxes. Usually they don’t have workers compensation.”
Riehl says that also means taxpayers are likely not seeing any income taxes or business taxes on work that’s being done, costing everyone else in the state more per year. The practice can also unfairly depress wages for everyone else.
“What we have to have here is a level playing field, so that everyone can compete by the same rules.”
Riehl says the issue is a national one, but with very real implications for Wisconsin workers.
“I don’t think that this has had the same priority at the federal level, and so I think it’s up to the states, really, to address this problem.”
