Should gig economy workers be classified as independent contractors or employees?

A lot of app-based companies like Uber, GrubHub, and Doordash like to classify their workers as independent contractors rather than employees. That’s getting harder for them to do, thanks to a landmark decision the California Supreme Court made last year. Contractors for many gig economy companies say they deserve the same labor protections around wages, hours, discrimination, and sexual harassment as employees get. The ruling was intended to help workers. But some, like exotic dancers and hair stylists, don’t want to be classified as employees.