4 ms·

Making it possible for the worker to document their “preference” would defeat the entire purpose of these regulations. Companies would simply fire anyone who do

by milch 8y ago

Making it possible for the worker to document their “preference” would defeat the entire purpose of these regulations. Companies would simply fire anyone who doesn’t have a contractor preference

stickfigure 8y ago
So instead we're ram-roding everyone into the wage-slavery model. With health insurance linked to your employer, it's no wonder people are afraid to leave their cubicles. I think "big evil corporations" like this setup just fine.
- geezerjay 8y ago
  > So instead we're ram-roding everyone into the wage-slavery model. Companies like upwork do absolutely nothing to solve that problem. In fact, they make it even worse by not even considering the idea of offering any healthcare service to any if their "contractors".
  - stickfigure 8y ago
    That's so naive that it makes me angry. Companies like upwork provide a place for independents to find clients. I spent the last 10 years earning most of of my income from consulting. The hard problem is not getting health insurance (you can buy it, it's just expensive and paid with after-tax dollars). THE hard part about being a consultant is finding people to pay you. These marketplaces might not be perfect, but they're a step in the right direction. I want exactly one thing from them - the ability to find work and get paid.
  - beatgammit 8y ago
    As a salaried employee, I hated the benefits my company provided, but it was worse to go without because I'm ineligible if I turn it down. Since leaving my company and consulting full-time instead, I: - pay less for insurance - after my subsidy, I pay less than my portion as a W-2 employee for nearly equivalent coverage - pay less for funds in my solo-401k without any other fees - don't get a FICA deduction for my HSA contribution (not sure why you have to be a W-2 employee for that deduction) - make more, even after additional FICA taxes I was already an "at-will" employee, so I didn't get much more protection anyway, so leaving my company and working as a 1099 was a net win with pretty much zero downsides. I really don't understand why the IRS is so adamant about making people W-2 employees, it's quite often a worse situation.

by milch 8y ago

stickfigure 8y ago

So instead we're ram-roding everyone into the wage-slavery model. With health insurance linked to your employer, it's no wonder people are afraid to leave their cubicles. I think "big evil corporations" like this setup just fine.

geezerjay 8y ago
> So instead we're ram-roding everyone into the wage-slavery model. Companies like upwork do absolutely nothing to solve that problem. In fact, they make it even worse by not even considering the idea of offering any healthcare service to any if their "contractors".
- stickfigure 8y ago
  That's so naive that it makes me angry. Companies like upwork provide a place for independents to find clients. I spent the last 10 years earning most of of my income from consulting. The hard problem is not getting health insurance (you can buy it, it's just expensive and paid with after-tax dollars). THE hard part about being a consultant is finding people to pay you. These marketplaces might not be perfect, but they're a step in the right direction. I want exactly one thing from them - the ability to find work and get paid.
- beatgammit 8y ago
  As a salaried employee, I hated the benefits my company provided, but it was worse to go without because I'm ineligible if I turn it down. Since leaving my company and consulting full-time instead, I: - pay less for insurance - after my subsidy, I pay less than my portion as a W-2 employee for nearly equivalent coverage - pay less for funds in my solo-401k without any other fees - don't get a FICA deduction for my HSA contribution (not sure why you have to be a W-2 employee for that deduction) - make more, even after additional FICA taxes I was already an "at-will" employee, so I didn't get much more protection anyway, so leaving my company and working as a 1099 was a net win with pretty much zero downsides. I really don't understand why the IRS is so adamant about making people W-2 employees, it's quite often a worse situation.