• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

A bipartisan bill now before the Colorado state legislature would exclude private newspaper deliverers from being defined as employees. Instead, they will be classified as independent contractors.  

How would this benefit these workers?   

Reclassifying them as employees would mean “more money would be taken out of their paychecks,” says State Rep. Matt Roper (R), who sponsored the House version. “An independent contractor means they’re being paid fully what they deserve. You don’t have the employer taking out healthcare benefits or retirement benefits or taxes. All that gets to go to the independent contractor—they get to keep all that.” 

The bill as written states that an employee does not include an individual engaged in the trade or business of delivering or distributing newspapers or shopping news if:

1. All the remuneration, whether or not paid in cash, for the performance of such services is directly related to sales or other putput, including the performance of services, instead of the number of hours worked; and  
2. The services are performed pursuant to a written contract between such person and the person for whom the services are performed and if such contrat provides that the person shall not be treated as an employee with respect to such services for federal tax. 

Of course, the benefit to employers is not quite so clear. Increasing numbers of publishers are delivering their print editions via the U.S. Postal Service. Postal workers are wage slaves, not independent contractors.