Re “The ‘Gig’ Label Is Being Used to Exploit Workers,” by Terri Gerstein (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 29):
To the Editor:
Terri Gerstein conflates the gig economy model with the independent contractor model and blames it for the ills and exploitation of independent contracting and gig work.
Ms. Gerstein uses the case of dishwashers exploited by a temporary agency. For such cases, federal and local statutes already on the books could address this minority of misclassification cases.
But in order to justify taking away the autonomy, rights and earning potential of tens of millions of independent contractors, as the latest Department of Labor rule seeks to do, Ms. Gerstein ignores the professional class of “solopreneurs”: journalists, lawyers, E.R. doctors, nurse practitioners and musicians, as well as the small-business owners who rely on this type of skilled professionalism to maintain and further their businesses.
Ms. Gerstein barely mentions this class, which makes up the majority of independent professionals. Instead, she champions changes in laws and regulations that ultimately would do nothing to help the low-wage workers, while doing great damage to true independent contractors.
Jennifer Oliver O’Connell
Muscle Shoals, Ala.
The writer, a small-business owner and independent contractor, is a visiting fellow with the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women’s Forum.