I am an "independent contractor" real estate clerk. Have been working for the same firm for 30+ years paid hourly earning about 45-50k yearly. Due to downturn in real estate market there is little or no work for me. I have had little communication with the employer and not sure how to go about starting the conversation of "how he plans on moving forward from here without putting my future at risk. Complicated by the fact that my daughter also works full time on salary at the same office and don't want to create waves that may cause problems for her as well