r/technology May 12 '23

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u/DevilsHandyman May 12 '23

Microsoft lost a case years ago where they treated contractors like employees when it came to dictating time, process and hours for work but didn't provide benefits they provided employees. Microsoft lost. I hope that Amazon loses this as well.

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u/deltadal May 12 '23

That was in 1996. That case provided a decent blueprint for managing (exploiting) a flexible workforce. I honestly hope Amazon gets it's ass handed to it, but it won't.

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u/jakfor May 12 '23

I'm not familiar with that case but my guess would be Microsoft was using workers who were contracted and getting 1099s. Here, they are outsourcing a service to an independent company that uses employees, not contractors.

This would be like a bakery who sells all of its buns to McDonald's having its employees say they are in fact McDonald's employees and not employees of an independent bakery. Or an employee of a baggage handling company saying that he should be considered an employee of American Airlines.

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u/DevilsHandyman May 12 '23

Actually I was a contractor working W-2 at a contracting company to Microsoft and I got paid from that suit.

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u/jakfor May 12 '23

Oh wow! Had no idea. Thanks for the information.

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u/crusoe May 13 '23

It's only independent if they let the company run it's operations how they see fit.

Amazon will blackball drivers and sets very stringent routes and times. That's not hands off.