Latest Contractors Headlines
All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Time to Revisit Independent Contractor vs. Employed Producer Status
Oct 15 2018 // Insurance agencies across the country hire some or all producers as independent contractors instead of as employees. The mixed use of employees and independent contractors in insurance is common in other industries as...
Woes of California Wildfire Victims Include Cleanup Crews, Fraud
Oct 11 2018 // One year after a devastating series of wildfires ripped through Northern California wine country, destroying thousands of homes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ first experience cleaning up after a wildfire has...
Florida Activates Disaster Fraud Teams Ahead of Hurricane Michael
Oct 8 2018 // The Florida Department of Financial Services Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFAST) has been activated ahead of what is expected to become Hurricane Michael and will be deployed in the affected areas to protect...
Minnesota Charges Contractor with Workers’ Comp Fraud, Labor Trafficking
Sep 26 2018 // A Minnesota construction contractor has been charged with labor trafficking, insurance fraud and theft by swindle for using undocumented workers on his construction crews and threatening to have them deported unless they...
Jury: Galveston Must Pay Nearly $15M to Contractor in Ike Housing Dispute
Sep 26 2018 // Southeast Texas city has been ordered to pay nearly $15 million to a fired contractor that was overseeing some federally funded housing recovery after Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. The Galveston County Daily News reports...
Decision in Uber Employee vs. Contractor Suit Cuts Driver Bargaining Power
Sep 25 2018 // Uber drivers seeking pay and benefits like those employees get were handed a big defeat by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday. A panel of court justices ruled that drivers must go through arbitration and could not...
OSHA Fines Contractors $86K Over Miami Bridge Collapse
Sep 20 2018 // Contractors that worked on the bridge near a Florida university that collapsed, killing six people, have been fined more than $86,000 for workplace violations. The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the Occupational Safety...
California Cites Garment Contractors $570K, Some Lacked Workers’ Comp
Sep 17 2018 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has cited six Los Angeles area garment contractors $573,704 for labor law violations after uncovering a scheme where the contractors illegally operated under one license to...
Suit: Uber Saved $500M a Year by Misclassifying California Drivers as Independent Contractors
Sep 12 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. may be saving more than $500 million a year by misclassifying its California drivers as independent contractors, according to a lawsuit that claims the ride-hailing company is flouting a ruling by...
California Cites Garment Contractors $570K, Some Lacked Workers’ Comp
Sep 10 2018 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has cited six Los Angeles area garment contractors $573,704 for labor law violations after uncovering a scheme where the contractors illegally operated under one license to...
Contractors and Roofing Insurance Program Webinars to be Held for Agents in September
Sep 5 2018 // Atlanta, GA, September 5, 2018— Blue River Underwriters will hold two separate informational program webinars this month. The first webinar on the Contractors Elite program this Thursday, September 6 from 11:30 a.m. to...
Florida Insurance Chief Warns of AOB Scams as Storm Gordon Lingers Over Gulf Coast
Sep 5 2018 // Florida’s top insurance regulator has issued a warning to residents facing damage from Tropical Storm Gordon, the first major storm to impact the state in the 2018 Hurricane Season. Florida Insurance Commissioner...
Constructive Tips for Reducing Equipment Losses at Jobsites
Sep 3 2018 // If you live in a city or nearby one and see new construction projects popping up at a rapid rate, you’re not alone. Cities throughout the United States are experiencing a boom in construction. Optimism is soaring to...
Proper Insurance Coverage for Construction Crucial in Avoiding Costly Litigation
Sep 3 2018 // If residential property owners don’t confirm proper insurance coverage and carefully consider labor laws when hiring contractors, they could be in for some costly litigation, according to two speakers at a July...
Ex-CEO of Oklahoma Ambulance Service Settles Kickback Case for $80K
Aug 30 2018 // The former CEO of an Oklahoma ambulance service has agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to settle a civil kickback case. The U.S. Justice Department revealed Monday that Stephen Williamson will pay an $80,000...
American Family Appeals Agent/Employee Classification Ruling
Aug 20 2018 // A federal appeals court in Ohio on July 31 heard arguments by opposing attorneys in a class action dispute over whether agents working for an insurance carrier on an exclusive basis should be classified as independent...
Gig Firms Want California to Override Court Ruling
Aug 8 2018 // Leading gig economy companies including Uber and Lyft are quietly lobbying California’s top Democrats to override or undermine a court ruling that could make many of their contract workers into employees. In April,...
Ironshore Enhances Designers, Contractors PL Coverage
Aug 7 2018 // Ironshore’s Construction Industry group, in conjunction with Ironshore Specialty Casualty, has enhanced its coverage for designers and contractors. The specialty program offers contractors pollution liability on an...
PCI: Majority of Texans Not Prepared for Hurricane Season
Aug 6 2018 // A large majority of Texas residents are not taking necessary steps to protect their property this hurricane season despite the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, according to a new poll conducted online by SurveyMonkey on...
Texas Petrochemical Contractor to Pay $135K in Disability Discrimination Suit Settlement
Aug 6 2018 // A Texas petrochemical services company that fired three brothers because of a blood disorder that they shared will pay $135,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by federal officials. Signature Industrial Services LLC (SIS) in...
