Independent Contractor Compliance Seminar Draws Raves from Transportation Industry Leaders

WOODBRIDGE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Underscoring their dedication to supporting and promoting best business practices, Marquis Agency’s Transportation Insurance Practice and Extensis Group, LLC held the Independent Contractor Compliance Seminar last week in Woodbridge, NJ. The seminar got very positive reviews from attendees, mostly transportation business owners and industry executives, who called it very informative and valuable.

“The seminar was extensive and the information will be very helpful to members of our association”

The program, entitled ”The New Risks of Using Independent Contractors: How to Minimize or Eliminate Liability Arising From the Misclassification of Employees,” was designed to help transportation companies that use independent contractors understand how the enforcement and legislative landscape has recently changed and how these changes will affect their business. The fact-filled presentation was conducted by legal experts on a multi-disciplinary basis Richard Reibstein (Labor), John Nixon (Employee Benefits), Stuart Shorenstein (Government Relations) and Dan Schulder (Tax) of law firm WolfBlock’s Independent Contractor Compliance Working Group.

“We make every effort to understand and meet the needs of our clients so we engaged WolfBlock to share the latest information on compliance issues for companies using independent contractors,” said Shawn Young, Senior Vice President of Marquis Agency’s Transportation Practice. “The presenters did an excellent job of sharing a wealth of information, enabling our clients to understand more about ways to minimize or eliminate the increased risks of liability when using independent contractors in the transportation industries.”

Dan Sheridan, Vice President of Extensis agreed. “Since some of our clients use independent contractors, we felt it was important to educate them as well as our team on this issue,” Sheridan said. “This risk associated with using IC’s is real and the repercussions of not being in compliance can be financially devastating to any business.”

“The seminar was extensive and the information will be very helpful to members of our association,” said Bill Goodman, manager of the New York State Messenger Courier Association. “The manual is something all companies using independent contractors should have.”

In recent years, there has been a spotlight put on the use of independent contractors by many different groups. The Internal Revenue Service as well as other federal and state labor agencies are looking closely at how companies are classifying their workers to ensure that they are not avoiding taxation and other employee-related expenses by labeling them as independent contractors. On top of that, plaintiff’s class action lawyers have entered the picture, suing companies in the transportation and other industries. Union leaders also see this as a way to effectively organize workers who have historically been unrepresented.

As a result of this focus, companies that use independent contractors are becoming frequent targets for government agencies, plaintiff's lawyers and unions. In addition to the obvious costs, including judgments for liability and legal fees, being targeted can also result in unwanted publicity and unionization by existing workers.

The Marquis and Extensis sponsored Independent Contractor Compliance Seminar was designed to spread the word and encourage companies to take a proactive approach to dealing with this issue.

“I found the Independent Contractor Compliance Seminar to be very informative,” said Dick Jones, Executive Director of the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers. “I plan to develop a focus group in the Association to discuss this important topic further and share this critical information with our members.”

About Marquis Agency

The Marquis Agency is a business unit of NIP Group, one of the top 100 U.S. Insurance Brokers operating in all 50 states except Alaska. The company is organized into specialty practices, drawing on it’s industry expertise to address the unique insurance and risk management issues facing highly specialized businesses. Each unit is managed by industry leaders and staffed by experienced brokers, claims and safety personnel. The company’s current areas of focus include: Transportation, Professional Services, Horticulture and Special Risks. Marquis also offers Employee Benefits consulting for all clients. For more information, call Marquis at 800-272-6771 or visit: www.marquisagency.com.

About Extensis Group LLC.

Extensis Group LLC. is New Jersey’s largest Professional Employer Organization, providing outsourced HR, Benefits and Risk Management Services, including Payroll, Tax, Insurance, Human Resources and Regulatory Compliance. For more information call Extensis at (888) 473-6398 or visit www.extensisgroup.com.