FedEx’s IC Misclassification Settlement Approaching $500 Million
For those of you who may not know, since 2007, FedEx Ground has been at the hub of the clampdown on independent contractor misclassification by regulators, legislators and plaintiffs’ lawyers. It was in 2007 that it was discovered by an appellate court in the sunny state of California that FedEx Ground’s delivery drivers had been wrongly classified as independent contractors when they had in fact been employees. After a reprieve from being thrust under the legal microscope in 2009 and 2010 when FedEx Ground won a significant number of the court decisions, they were back in 2014 with more lawsuits about independent contractor misclassification.
After the FedEx Operating Agreements were scrutinized by the appellate courts, they found one IC compliance deficit after another. All of these were cleverly disguised and buried deep within the Operating Agreement, and quite honestly, hard for a layperson to identify. In fact, those who examined the documents remarked that they read like water-tight, strongly-drafted legal documents, but they simply did not cut it with the courts.
As of October 2016, FedEx Ground’s settlement payments are approaching $500 million. Click here to read the full story.
If your employer misclassifies your employment status, you may be missing out on overtime wages, medical benefits, unemployment benefits, disability benefits or workers’ compensation. At Friedman & Ranzenhofer, our experienced Buffalo employment lawyers represent misclassified employees to ensure they receive the rights and benefits they’ve worked so hard for. To discuss your rights with an experienced independent contractor misclassification lawyer, contact our office today to schedule a free and confidential consultation. Let our experience work for you.