North Carolina Governor Vetoes Bill to Remove Independent Contractor Presumption
On July 17, 2017, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed legislation to remove the independent contractor presumption that the state’s newspaper industry has enjoyed for the last 20 years. As previously reported, the presumption was removed on June 28, 2017, when a modified version of House Bill 205 passed in a midnight session of the Legislature. I reported earlier that there was a reasonable probability Governor Cooper, a Democrat, would veto this bill. Following the Jun
North Carolina Newspapers Lose Legislative Presumption
Passage of a new bill removes a tremendous advantage North Carolina newspapers have enjoyed in Worker’s Compensation litigation for nearly two decades. The bill removes a legislative presumption of independent contractor status for newspaper carriers under the state’s Workers’ Compensation law. The presumption was first attacked in 2015, when legislation was introduced into both Houses of the Legislature to not only repeal it, but to add independent contractor “unfriendly” la
Trump DOJ Abandons Salary Level of 2016 Overtime Rule
On November 22, 2016, the U.S. District Court in Texas enjoined nationwide the Obama Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule, which would have increased the salary threshold for overtime exemption to $47,476. The District Court decision indicated that the DOL has no authority to set any salary for bona fide executive, administrative, or professional employees. President Obama’s Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez immediately appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the F
