Submitted by Pat Costello
The Central & Northern New York Building Construction Trades Council filed a complaint Oct. 20 with the state Department of Labor in reference to the Claudia Tenney for Congress Campaign’s misclassification of workers. According to a recent article in Press & Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, Tenney listed her Campaign Manager, Ryan Rhodes, and her Campaign Spokesman, Hannah Andrews, as independent contractors instead of staff.
“Misclassification is a serious problem in New York state and in our workforce today that needs to be addressed,” said Buiding and Construction Trades Council area representative Patrick Costello. “The 23 local union affiliates of our Trade Council travel to Albany each and every year to talk to our Assembly and Senate members to explain the devastating effects to our members, our contractors and New York state that misclassification causes.
“Claudia Tenney has heard from us on numerous occasions the detrimental effect that misclassification has on our workforce. By claiming that her staff is actually contractors, Assemblywoman Tenney avoids paying into the Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation and Social Security systems that other business owners across New York contribute to.”
According to the Cornell University study released in 2007 entitled, “The Case of Worker Misclassification in New York State,” hundreds of thousands of dollars every year are lost from the very systems that are designed to help worker people and their families. Tenney claims she will fight for small businesses and working families in our area, but she is avoiding the responsibilities that those small business owners face every day and she is depriving her staff of the safety net that all other workers (if their employer is adhering to the law) in New York state enjoy.
We have asked the state Department of Labor to investigate the Claudia Tenney for Congress campaigns as we believe that the misclassification of workers is a violation of the Labor Law.”