Since 2002, the HomeBlue Contractor Network has serviced America’s home construction needs. DOVER — The owner of the company constructing the Orpheum Apartments downtown is defending the integrity of the building following claims in a federal lawsuit that the general contractor ignored structural deficiencies and fired the employee after he urged them to correct the problems.
The distinction between independent contractor and employee is an important one in the United States, as the costs for business owners to maintain employees are significantly higher than the costs associated with hiring independent contractors, due to federal and state requirements for employers to pay FICA ( Social Security and Medicare taxes) and unemployment taxes on received income for employees.
Following Y2K when I was working as an Information Technology recruiter, the market for most IT professionals – and especially contractors – went down the toilet as companies had spent their IT budget (and then some) upgrading their systems preparing for Y2K.
You can ask about the number of jobs they have done, their specialization, the length of time needed to complete the job for you, if they have a workers’ compensation and liability insurance, do they do the job themselves or do they hire subcontractors and if they will do all the work from removing the old materials to installing the new unit.
Currently, truckers operate as contractors, with their own rigs and insurance, and serve several vineyards, said Michael Miiller, director of government relations at the California Association of Winegrape Growers. An employee usually has a set fee for their work eg a salary or wage, whereas a contractor may be paid by results.