The law firm of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP recently hosted a seminar featuring guest speaker M. Patricia Smith, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor. Commissioner Smith’s presentation addressed the Executive Order recently issued by Governor Eliot Spitzer, establishing a Joint Enforcement Task Force on Employee Misclassification.
Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria distributed invitations for the seminar to all building trades unions in Upstate New York. A large audience filled the room to learn more about employee misclassification, a major issue that is confronting construction trades on an increasing basis.
As Governor Spitzer’s office describes it – “The misclassification of workers occurs when an employer improperly labels an individual as an independent contractor rather than an employee, or pay workers off the books.”
The use of misclassification allows businesses to deny workers many protections and avoid complying with laws governing unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, social security, tax withholding, temporary disability insurance, minimum wage, and overtime.
Attendees of the seminar received detailed information on the legal ramifications of employee misclassification by members of the Lipsitz Green labor department including Robert L. Boreanaz, Richard D. Furlong, Keith T. Williams, and John M. Lichtenthal. Commissioner Smith’s presentation followed. The program concluded with a question and answer period between the audience and Commissioner Smith.
Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP has been serving the Western New York labor community for over 50 years. With nearly 60 attorneys, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP is one of Buffalo’s largest law firms. The firm serves individuals, organizations, and corporations in the areas of Personal Injury & Civil Appeals, Labor & Employment Law, Criminal Trials & Appeals, Professional Licensure, Business Law & Litigation, Matrimonial & Family Law, Workers’ Compensation & Social Security Disability, Estate Planning & Trusts, Real Estate Sales & Acquisitions, Taxation, and other matters. Thirteen of the firm’s attorneys have been named to The Best Lawyers in America 2007. In addition to its headquarters in Buffalo, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP maintains satellite offices in Amherst, Cheektowaga, and Fredonia, New York; and regional offices in New York City and Beverly Hills, CA.
