Handy Batting 7-for-10 in Effort to Pass 'Marketplace Contractor' Laws

Handy, the New York-based home cleaning and services company, won passage of laws in seven states this year that allow home service gig economy firms to legally assign workers to tasks without bearing the burden of being treated as the employer. The legislation introduces a new term for independent contractor: marketplace contractor. In so doing, Handy and its supporters are seeking to provide legal clarity to the definition of such workers and, importantly, remove liability concerns of online platform firms from acts by, or injuries to, the workers who provide the services. Last year, H...