•    "The H.R. 1319, the so-called Modern Worker Empowerment Act, amends the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act to establish a single, and far too narrow, test to determine whether an individual is an independent contractor or employee.  By narrowing the scope of the FLSA and NLRA, this bill makes it more difficult for workers who have been misclassified as independent contractors to receive overtime pay, fair wages, and other basic rights under the law. I cannot overstate the harm this bill could inflict on workers and communities alike.  By codifying the pervasive trend of employers misclassifying their employees as independent contractors, this bill strips workers of their basic wage and hour protections and leaves law-abiding businesses at a competitive disadvantage.  Independent contractors do not get the same protections as wage and hour employees, such as minimum wage, overtime, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, access to employee healthcare and benefits, pensions, OSHA protections, and the right to organize.  Also, this bill will rob state and local governments of revenue at a time when states must deal with devastating health and food assistance cuts due to President ‘One Big, Ugly Law.’" Source: Rep. Bobby Scott (Democrat, Virginia, District 3) 

•    "On behalf of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), representing 150,000 small-business truckers, independent contractor owner-operators, and employee drivers, we are contacting you to share our opposition to H.R. 1319, the Modern Worker Empowerment Act. This legislation would restrict independent truckers’ ability to negotiate their working conditions and would allow for carriers to exert greater control over their independent contractors. As Congress and the U.S. Department of Labor have shown interest in worker classification rules, it is absolutely critical that the voices of actual independent truckers, not the mega carriers looking to control them, are prioritized." Source: Bryce Mongeon, Director of Legislative Affairs at OOIDA

•    "I support workers and I’ll always defend your rights in the workplace. That’s why I’m opposing the Modern Worker Empowerment Act - it’s the wrong approach that harms, not helps, working people.Independent work should be a choice—not an excuse for companies to cut corners. We shouldn’t make it easier for employers to misclassify workers as independent contractors, stripping basic rights like overtime pay, minimum wage protections, and the ability to organize. This bill opens the door to abuse, especially in industries like construction, trucking, home care, and janitorial work where misclassification is already a significant problem." Source: Rep. John Mannion (Democrat, New York, District 22)