> Then autoshops are exposed to the risk that mechanics report/sue them for "employee misclassification" and unpaid wages.
I don't think that is a very high risk for the "employer". There's a reason that things like this go on for so long: https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-fro...
Those billions are just the reported amounts.
Yes, but if you are one of Uber/Lyft drivers you're less likely to receive anything from reporting them than if you're one of only 5 mechanics in an auto shop. Auto shop owner does not have an army of lawyers to drag the case.