The misclassification of employees as independent contractors has been the focus of recent attention as a result of the implementation of that employment model by ride-share and other gig employers. But the practice long predates the emergence of the gig economy, particularly in the construction industry. This article traces the history of misclassification in construction and the subsequent emergence of a cash-based underground system of compensation, which have lowered standards and been among the major causes of the decline of union density in the industry. In addition, the author examines the regulatory environment at the federal level, which has largely enabled misclassification as well as attempts by state agencies to adopt more aggressive enforcement policies.

由于乘车共享和其他演出用人单位采用了这种雇佣模式，将雇员错误地分类为独立承包商一直是近期关注的焦点。但是这种做法早于零工经济的出现，特别是在建筑业中。本文追溯了建筑中分类错误的历史以及随后出现的基于现金的地下补偿系统，这些系统降低了标准，并且是导致行业工会密度下降的主要原因之一。此外，作者检查了联邦一级的监管环境，这在很大程度上导致了错误分类以及州机构试图采取更积极的执法政策的尝试。