Public Hearing For Misclassified Workers

PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER)-- The Maine State Building and Construction Trades Council is addressing the issue of misclassified workers.

They hosted a public hearing on the on the issue in Portland Thursday night.

Members of the council say countless construction workers are being hired as independent contractors, whey they should be classified as employees.

They say, as independent contractors, theses workers are not protected by state labor laws such as minimum wage, overtime, and health insurance coverage.  They say this can lead to them being taken advantage of.

Council members say that the state also loses money when workers are misclassified.  A Harvard study suggests that Maine is losing at least $2.6 million every year in tax revenue because workers are being misclassified.