The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce has joined the fight to protect independent contractors’ right to work in California by joining the “I’m Independent” coalition, which is advocating for freelancers right to work in the state.

“For several decades, California has allowed independent contractors to be part of the workforce, allowing individuals who need schedule flexibility and extra income to make ends meet,” said Nancy Starczyk, SCV Chamber Board Chair. “For the California Supreme Court to make a decision that should be put in the hands of our policymakers is unheard of.”

In April 2018, the California Supreme Court ruled the Dynamex case, making it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors. The Borello test, which is what the state had followed for since the 1970s, has been replaced with the ABC Test. For a worker to be identified as an independent contractor, employers must show they are free from employer control, perform outside the company’s mission, and be independently established in that trade.
This decision drastically changed the way employees and independent contractors are classified, putting the way of life of millions of Californians at risk. To read more about Dynamex, click here.

“Classifying a worker as an employee or independent contractor is not as easy as A-B-C,” said John Musella, spokesman for the SCV Chamber. “Being an independent contractor allowed for single-parent or struggling families to have flexibility to work multiple jobs to bring in a supplemental income and not the average nine to five, so they can their children to school or pick them up. It allowed for families to spend more time with each other, because flexibility was an option.”

The SCV Chamber of Commerce has joined a long list of coalition members that is focused on working with the California State Legislature to formulate a way to properly fix this policy issue. “Our local businesses need effective advocates, like the SCV Chamber, to be part of a robust group of state-wide business organizations and leaders to work together to fight for our businesses,” said Starczyk.

ABOUT THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Founded in 1923, the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce is the leading business advocacy organization in the Santa Clarita Valley representing more than 65,000-member employees and the third largest city in the County of Los Angeles.