September 25, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — On Thursday, Sept. 26, at 10:15 a.m. EDT, Matt Townsend, the President of the Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance (SWACCA) and Chief Executive Officer of OCP Contractors, Inc., located in Holland, Ohio, is scheduled to testify
before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor Workforce Protections Subcommittee at a hearing titled Misclassification of Employees: Examining the Costs to Workers, Businesses, and the Economy.

In his testimony, Townsend will outline how the misclassification of employees impacts the construction industry, particularly the competitive disadvantage it creates for law-abiding employers.

“SWACCA appreciates the opportunity to highlight for Members of Congress the pervasiveness of employee misclassification in the construction industry,” said Townsend. “Law-abiding employers like the ones SWACCA represents do not wish to be complicit in misclassification in order to compete. I look forward to sharing with Congress exactly how these misclassification schemes tilt the playing field against law-abiding employers in the construction industry while also harming workers and taxpayers.”

SWACCA has established itself as a leader in the fight against misclassification in the construction industry. Last Congress, SWACCA strongly opposed passage of legislation that would have eliminated barriers to misclassifying workers as independent contractors. A letter submitted on behalf of SWACCA opposing passage of the bill was cited in a House Committee report and on the floor of the House of Representatives during debate. SWACCA also fought to ensure that an IRS rulemaking initiated by the passage of the 2017 tax reform legislation did not create a financial incentive for workers to accept being misclassified in exchange for a favorable
“pass-through” tax deduction.

The Misclassification of Employees: Examining the Costs to Workers, Businesses, and the Economy hearing will take place in the House Education and Labor Workforce Protections Subcommittee on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 10:15 a.m. EDT in the Rayburn House Office Building Room 2175. A livestream will be available here.

The Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance (SWACCA) is a national organization of signatory wall and ceiling contractors committed to working in partnership with its workforce to provide the highest-quality, most efficient construction services possible to its customers. SWACCA prides itself on representing companies that fully embrace their commitment to their customers and their employees.

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