Posts tagged gig work
Labor board decision could force Google to negotiate with YouTube contractors
March 7, 2023 // Alphabet has been labeled a joint employer, which may have some big ramifications for workers if they decide to unionize. For its part, Alphabet intends to appeal the NLRB’s decision. “We simply don’t control these workers’ employment terms or working conditions,” spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told Bloomberg. In addition to the union drive and fight to get Alphabet recognized as a joint employer, the contractors went on strike in February to protest return to office orders — the first strike at the company, according to the AWU. The dates for the union election haven’t been publicly announced yet.
Biden Wants To Restrict Work and Flexibility for Freelancers
February 20, 2023 // Beyond these misunderstandings, there is a key question that PRO Act proponents have failed to directly answer: Over a dozen surveys—including the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Contingent Worker Supplement—have found that a majority of independent contractors would prefer their current arrangements over an employment arrangement. Workers cite dependent care obligations, personal circumstances, or a strong preference for job flexibility (over job stability) as the primary reasons. Beyond surveys, in a recent study published by the Journal of Political Economy, economists estimated that UberX drivers would require almost twice as much pay to accept the inflexibility that comes from adopting a taxi-style schedule. And for the top 10 percent of DoorDash drivers, losing flexibility is equivalent to a 15 percent pay cut. Sens. Mark Warner (D–Va.), Todd Young (R–Ind.), and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D–Wash.)
Commentary: What’s Next for America’s Independent Workers?
December 15, 2022 // If various state and federal policymakers have their way, however, Ms. Rankin’s business model might be soon regulated out of existence — whether she likes it or not. Rankin, like every other owner‐operator truck driver in America, is an independent worker – someone who takes on projects or jobs from different clients, relatively free from the clients’ control.
This fresh blow to newspapers — and our democracy — must be stopped | Editorial
October 4, 2022 // For nearly two centuries, and across the country, the job has been done by contractors who are not classified as employees of the newspapers. But now the state Department of Labor is strictly enforcing a law that’s been on the books since the FDR era, upending tradition by ordering these workers to be treated as employees. That means newspapers, or the firms they hire to handle delivery, would have to pay taxes to cover benefits like unemployment and disability, just as they do for full-time employees. It would cost the Star-Ledger, already diminished by layoffs and buyouts, about $3 million a year. The state’s intentions are good, even if its swing is a bit wild. This is part of a movement, mostly in progressive states, to combat the spread of abuses related to contract work. It was inspired first by the growing use of lower-paid contract workers on constructions sites, many of them working full-time and standing shoulder to shoulder with regular employees. And contract work has exploded in the gig economy, at companies like Uber and Grubhub.
Opinion: Handcuffing Freelancers Is Bad For Economy And Small Business
June 3, 2022 // Addressing the increasing economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and declining consumer confidence requires a pro-growth economic response from Washington D.C. The right policy focuses on broad-based deregulation to reduce costs on businesses, encourage entrepreneurship, and incent greater economic activity
Employee Rights Act Would Protect Hardworking Latinos & Expand Freedom for All American Workers
May 9, 2022 // The LIBRE Initiative supports the ERA and its efforts at protecting American workers from anti-choice legislation like the PRO Act and ensuring that they have the flexibility to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving economy.
Democratic Party weighs banning its consultants from anti-union activity
April 19, 2022 // POLITICO has obtained a draft of a contract addendum that would forbid Democratic-aligned consultants from participating in union-busting, aiding an employer in a labor dispute or lobbying against union-backed legislation.
The Employee Rights Act Puts American Workers, Not Union Bosses, in the Driver’s Seat
April 13, 2022 // The Employee Rights Act contains several other provisions to protect workers from union intimidation. The bill criminalizes union threats in the workplace and bans unions from using personal employee data for anything unrelated to campaigns, taking Big Labor’s most aggressive and unethical tactics off the table. The bill also prohibits union “salting,” a tactic where a union pays an individual to apply for a job within a company that has not yet been unionized. Instead of becoming a productive employee, the “salt” is there to organize a union and be Big Labor’s mole on the inside.
SOTU address shows Biden favors unions and spurns workers
March 6, 2022 // Instead of focusing on policies that would help Americans deal with runaway inflation, Biden doubled down on Big Labor’s wishlist. No matter what organized labor is selling, implementing a $15 minimum wage alongside the PRO Act would be a doomsday scenario for American workers.
How This Labor Department Nominee Threatens 59 Million Workers
January 13, 2022 // Weil’s efforts to attack independent workers, would not only dampen their bright outlooks, but could put their entire livelihoods and ways of living on the line. One of the Biden administration’s and Weil’s primary goals it to implement the PRO Act—a Big Labor wish list that includes upending independent contracting.