On May 7, 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Labor. Like the MOU between the U.S. Department of Labor and states like Alabama, California, Florida, and Massachusetts, Rhode Island’s agreement was created to battle employee misclassification. State agencies in Rhode Island will work together with the U.S. Department of Labor to prevent and reduce the misclassification of independent contractors or other nonemployee statutes by sharing resources and information. For example, the agencies will coordinate law enforcement investigations and make referrals of potential violations of each other’s statutes, among other responsibilities. The agreement is scheduled to expire in three years, but may be renewed if both parties agree.
More information on Rhode Island or other states that have signed the agreement can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website http://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/misclassification/.