Advisory Task Force on Worker Misclassification

“Misclassifying workers hurts not only those who are misclassified and their families, it hurts all Minnesotans, including businesses who do the right thing by their employees by playing by the rules, and every Minnesota taxpayer who has to make up the slack for law breaking employers,” Attorney General Ellison said.

“I’ve created this task force to gather the best thinking about the problem and make practical, workable recommendations to the Legislature, State agencies, other levels of government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and advocates about how we can put an end to the problem. It’s another way we can help create a more level playing field and a fairer economy, which helps all Minnesotans better afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect.”

Section I: Task Force Members

Task Force Co-Chairs

Co-Chairs: Representative Emma Greenman and Second Co-Chair to be Elected at First Meeting

Core Task Force Members:

Rod Adams, Executive Director, The New Justice Project
Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach, Commissioner, Department of Labor and Industry
Octavio Chung Bustamante, Marketing Representative, LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota
Representative Emma Greenman, Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Melissa Hysing, Legislative Director, MN AFL-CIO
Burt Johnson, General Counsel, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters
Briana Kemp, Policy Lead, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL)
Amir Malik, Compliance Manager, City of Bloomington City Attorney’s Office
Commissioner Paul Marquart, Commissioner, Department of Revenue
Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, Member of the Minnesota Senate
Evan Rowe, Deputy Commissioner, Workforce Services and Transformation, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Aaron Sojourner, Senior Researcher, W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Brittany VanDerBill, Owner, B. VanDerBill Consulting LLC
Kim Vu-Dinh, Associate Professor, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
John Stanoch, Interim President & CEO, Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Ex Officio Members of the Task Force:

Lindsey Lee, Assistant Attorney General, Minnesota Attorney General's Office
Brian Elliott, Executive Director, SEIU State Council

Section II: Meetings and Events

Past Meetings

September 13, 2023

October 25, 2023

November 20, 2023

December 13, 2023

January 8th, 2024

Video Recording
Agenda
Minutes
PowerPoint Presentation on Misclassification Policies, National Employment Law Project
National Federation of Independent Business – MN Letter
Data on Independent Contractors submitted by Brittany VanDerBill
Impact Stories of California AB5 Compiled by Freelancers Against AB5
List of Professions Impacted by AB5 Compiled by Freelancers Against AB5

January 23rd, 2024

Video Recording
Agenda
Minutes
Policy Proposals from Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach, Department of Labor and Industry

February 7th, 2024

March 15, 2024

Video Recording
Agenda
Minutes
Presentation on Co-Enforcement, Janice Fine, Rutgers University
Case Study on Co-Enforcement, Veronica Mendez Moore, CTUL
Misclassification Report, Office of the Legislative Auditor

May 29, 2024

June 24, 2024

August 20, 2024

Video Recording
Agenda
Minutes
Professor John Budd’s presentation: “Who’s an Employee? Working Toward a Principled Approach”

September 20, 2024

October 8, 2024

October 21, 2024

November 19, 2024

December 20, 2024

Section III: Resources

Task Force Materials

Press

July 6, 2023: Attorney General Ellison forms Task Force on Worker Misclassification
September 7, 2023: Attorney General Ellison announces members of Worker Misclassification Task Force

Section IV: Participate

Community input is an important part of this Task Force, we encourage members of the public interested in this work to sign up for updates and stay engaged with this work.

If you would like to participate, please email Carin Mrotz at Carin.Mrotz@ag.state.mn.us

Public Comment Submission Form

This form is for Minnesotans to share their experiences with employment classification in order to inform the advisory task force. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office cannot respond to all comments or testimony it receives but may use information shared to help the task force study the issue of worker misclassification and make recommendations, which may include public policy or educational initiatives.

NOTICE: Task Force members and AGO staff will attend the meetings in person or via video conferencing or telephone. Under Minnesota Statutes section 13D.021, subdivision 3, if telephone or interactive technology is used to conduct a meeting the AGO shall allow a person to monitor the meeting electronically from a remote location. Public participants may monitor the meeting in person or via Zoom or by phone as stated above and may provide comments at the discretion of the co-chairs.

It is the policy of the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C.A. Section 12101, et. seq. ("ADA"). The ADA provides, in part, that qualified individuals with disabilities shall not be excluded from participating in or be denied the benefits of any program, service or activity offered by the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. If you require special accommodations to participate in the meeting, please email Carin Mrotz at Carin.Mrotz@ag.state.mn.us prior to the meeting.