STATEMENT
Response to Governor Northam’s Executive Order 38
November 22, 2019
RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) is pleased to see the release today of Governor Northam’s Executive Order Number Thirty-Eight (EO38) “Reauthorizing an Inter-Agency Taskforce on Worker Misclassification and Payroll Fraud.”
Misclassification and payroll fraud happens when employers call workers independent contractors when they are really employees. This is one of the most prevalent forms of wage theft. Wage theft is when employers break the law and don’t pay workers all their legally owed wages.
“Wage theft is wrong. It steals wages from workers, places good employers at a competitive disadvantage and cheats the Commonwealth of needed payroll taxes. We’re excited to see the recommendations from the taskforce,” said Kim Bobo, VICPP’s Executive Director.
VICPP was one of the many stakeholders that offered advice and recommendations to the taskforce. VICPP is also one of the leading advocacy organizations working to stop and deter wage theft in Virginia.
Two of the taskforce’s recommendations are VICPP priorities which the organization helped to lead during the past several legislative sessions, and will continue to lead in the 2020 General Assembly:
- Creating a private cause of action, so workers can take wage claims to court with the assistance of attorneys
- Providing for whistleblower protections so workers can’t be fired or retaliated against for filing a wage claim
Media contact
Roberta Oster
Communications Director
roberta@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
804-615-4192
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The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy advocates economic, racial, social, and environmental justice
in Virginia’s policies and practices through education, prayer, and action.
VICPP is a non-partisan coalition of more than 750 faith communities working for a more just society.