North Carolina Governor Beverly Purdue Forms Task Force to Scrutinize Independent Contractor Misclassification

On August 22, 2012, Governor Beverly Perdue issued Executive Order 125 establishing a task force to address concerns that North Carolina employers are allegedly misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid obligations under federal and state laws, including laws governing wage and hour issues. According to the Order, the primary purposes of the “Task Force on Employee Misclassification” are “to enhance coordination and communication among various state agencies,” and “to identify effective mechanisms to combat unlawful practices like employee misclassification that harm workers.” The Task Force will be chaired by the Commissioner of Insurance and include heads of various state agencies, or their designees, and representatives of other entities with expertise on these issues, such as the Commissioner of Labor.