2016 Candidate Meets With Silicon Valley Tech CEOs, Suggests “Third Classification System”
In the latest signal that the issue of worker classification is only gaining momentum in the 2016 presidential race, Inc. Magazine reported that on Thursday presidential candidate Hillary Clinton met with “several tech company chief executives” in Silicon Valley at Munchery’s headquarters. Munchery CEO Tri Tran said Clinton and the executives discussed “the idea of coming up with a third classification for a sharing-economy worker” that would fall somewhere between W-2 and 1099 workers and address those working for sharing economy companiese like Uber. The article noted that Tran’s impression of the meeting was that Clinton may be “shifting away from her role as the anti-Uber candidate.” Tran said Clinton was “rightfully critical of some elements of the gig economy,” but “seems like an advocate and interested in making this new economy work well for all the workers, leaders and policy makers involved.”
What This Means For Small Businesses
Though small business owners in San Francisco and across the US have different views when it comes to who should lead America for the next four years, there is no denying the issue of worker classification is top-of-mind during the 2016 presidential campaign. This means small business owners may get a better idea of where candidates stand on the issue of using independent contractors versus employees. At the same time, if the general push seems to be towards moving workers from contractor to employee status, the very public discussion of the issue could prove to only add growing pressure on small businesses to convert their workforce to employees, requiring costly benefits. The small business community should prepare for the issue to be aired by candidates from both parties.
Additional Reading
NFIB previously covered Clinton’s comments on the sharing economy during the 2016 campaign, and NFIB also covered Jeb Bush’s comments on the issue.
Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.
