Airbnb, Etsy and other pillars of the gig economy are shaping up to be rare losers in Democrats’ coronavirus relief package. Buried in the legislation are provisions that will require them to provide a lot more information to the IRS about the money millions of people earn through their platforms, which is likely to bring …
Gig workers could end up losers in Covid relief bill Read More »
This week in “Amazon is scum” news, on Tuesday the company reached a $61.7 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over a longstanding practice of stealing tips from delivery drivers. Drivers for Amazon Flex were recruited with the promise of $18 to $25 an hour plus customer tips, and that’s how it worked in 2015 and 2016. But then …
Amazon to pay huge settlement in wage theft case Read More »
A lot of things happened for working people this year, and most of them were bad. But even in a year as deranged as 2020, the broader themes that afflict and energize the labor movement have carried on. If you are reading this, congratulations: There is still time for you to do something about all of these …
While millions have lost their jobs and thousands of small businesses have shut their doors, at least one company has thrived during the pandemic: Amazon. The e-commerce behemoth controls 40 percent of online sales and has amassed record profits. The net worth of founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, has jumped to $186 billion, …
Building Its Own Delivery Network, Amazon Puts the Squeeze On Drivers Read More »
Imagine that one of two people will be responsible for your safety. The first receives health and dental benefits, earns more than minimum wage, has clear advancement options within their company, and may even belong to a union. The second has no insurance benefits, works wildly erratic hours, feels no allegiance to their company, and makes …
Why companies based on gig work are hurting more than their employees Read More »
Use These Guidelines to Ensure That Your Remote Workplace Is A Corporate Asset The advent of employees working from the home continues to rise, a trend that will surely continue in the future. Corporations recognize that an increasing number of employees – particularly millennials and contract workers in the “gig” economy – value this option …
5 Steps To Ensure Your Work-From-Home Employees Maximize Corporate Performance Read More »
In an Axios interview that aired on HBO last Sunday, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made a troubling analogy. Discussing Uber’s ties to Saudi Arabia—whose sovereign fund is one of Uber’s largest shareholders—Khosrowshahi described the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a “mistake” comparable to the company’s own “mistakes” in reckless automation. This “mistake” was brushed off casually, with no mention of its place …
Today Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 5. The untitled new law will have a significant impact on the gig economy in California. It will be increasingly difficult to lawfully classify California workers as independent contractors. With the exception of several significant carveouts, which I discuss below, the definition of “to employ” announced …
How Does the Passage of AB 5 in California Affect Me and Others in the Gig Economy? Read More »
The rideshare industry seems to have been on an unstoppable tear, running roughshod over regulations, filling the streets with cars, and making astronomical sums of Wall Street capital. But California just tripped up Uber and Lyft’s business model with pioneering legislation to rein in the freewheeling “gig economy.” The law, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), passed overwhelmingly in …
Hey, Uber and Lyft: Gig Work Is Work. California Just Said So. Read More »
The California Senate passed a bill reining in gig economy abuses on Tuesday night, and by Wednesday afternoon, before Gov. Gavin Newsom had a chance to sign it, Uber had already come out to say that it was confident the new law wouldn’t apply to Uber drivers, and also Uber had already allocated tens of millions of …
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
