我们在dependent Contractors...Forget about it. You have no rights.

You may no longer be an employee of someone else's company,but that doesn't mean you no longer work for others. Manyhomebased business owners work as independent contractors for otherbusinesses or organizations, providing expertise on short- orlong-term projects. But what happens if the relationships youdevelop within those other companies go sour? What if you become avictim of racial or sexual harassment? What if you believe thepeople who hired you have discriminated against you in ways theycouldn't discriminate against standard employees? The rules ofthe game are different for independent contractors.

Consider a case decided in 1997 by California's Court ofAppeals. A recreational facility declined to renew the contract ofits dance program director, a homebased independent contractor. Thedance director suspected the termination was racially motivated,because she'd complained her freelance instructors were beingtaunted by the staff about working for a white woman. Upset, shesued over illegal discrimination. She never had a chance to presenther evidence in court, however, because the trial court noted thatthe state and federal laws against racial discrimination weredesigned to protect employees--not independent contractors. Thestate Court of Appeals agreed. However pernicious racialdiscrimination might be, the judges observed, the law simplydoesn't allow such claims by independent contractors.