Tonight is my first meeting and the room is abuzz. The chairs in the room are arranged in a circle. A table near the door offers participants donuts and coffee. I’ve arrived just in time to hear a voice ask everyone in the room to take a seat. After everyone is seated, we begin to go around the room, one by one, stating our names and why we’re here. It’s my turn now. I get up and say, “Hi, my name is Aaron”. The group responds with a “Hi Aaron!” I continue by saying, “I’m here because I’m a misclassified worker.” I get all choked up.
Not quite what you were expecting? As a reader, I wouldn’t have expected it either but that was the exact image that came to mind when I read a blurb on Maine’s new tactic in attempting to curb worker misclassification.
It appears that Maine’s labor commissioner is urging Maine workers who have been misclassified, to share their stories at public hearings next month. The hearings, set to be conducted by Maine Governor John Bardacci’s Worker Misclassification Task Force, are being used as means to magnify the real issue of worker misclassification through real life stories. Instead of just spewing out numbers on worker misclassification which typically include percentages and large dollar amounts, Maine has taken an interesting path by trying to associate faces with worker misclassification.
Now the way I see it, this can go one of two ways. Let’s look at the positive side first. This approach provides a human element that is rarely seen outside of worker lawsuits. Whether it be state or federal agencies, misclassification always seems to be about how much money the government is losing in potential employment taxes. Rarely is the case when we actually hear about the lives affected when a worker is misclassified. Perhaps the stories of the misclassified workers will tear at the heart strings of the task force in an effort to bring the problem to the forefront of today’s news
As for the negative side, Maine needs to try and avoid looking like a Jerry Springer circus. What they don’t need is for workers, who feel like they’ve been wronged, to come forward in hopes that it leads them to a quick and easy pay day. The last thing they need is an episode of Someone Misclassified My Baby’s Momma. I don’t believe that’s what the labor commissioner had in mind.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how many workers show up to give their story. Without that human aspect, Maine’s new tactic will not be successful.