Posts tagged insurance
RESEARCH: AI and Independent Work in 7 Charts
July 28, 2026 // Most debates about AI and work still focus on whether jobs will disappear. But these charts point to another possibility: AI may also be making it easier for more people to work outside traditional firms. This is still early, descriptive evidence—not proof of causation. Even so, both datasets point in the same direction: solo-type business applications and solo self-employment are growing faster in sectors and occupations with greater AI exposure.
Op-ed: The Delphi bailout Congress shouldn’t pay
July 24, 2026 // Some media reports claim that 20,000 former Delphi employees lost their pensions, but the PBGC confirms that 14,300 of the plan’s approximately 20,000 participants have received every dollar of the pension benefits they earned. Only about 5,700 experienced any reduction, either because their benefits exceeded the $54,000 statutory insurance limit, or because they earned early-retiree benefits the PBGC does not insure. Most of those reductions were modest. About 60% of affected participants lost less than one-fifth of their promised pension,
New Mercatus Liya Palagashvilli Report: Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of Independent Work
July 20, 2026 // A freelancer or solo business owner may earn income from multiple clients without any one client serving as the institutional provider of benefits. If AI expands this kind of independent knowledge work, then benefits should increasingly attach to the worker rather than to a single firm. Portable benefits would allow workers to maintain access to health benefits, retirement accounts, paid leave, and other forms of security across different work arrangements.17Contributions could come from multiple sources: the worker, firms, clients, platforms, customers, or government matches for lower-income workers. The goal is not to make independent work look exactly like traditional employment. It is to make sure that workers do not lose financial security simply because their income comes from contracts, clients, or a one-person business rather than from a firm. The second implication concerns unemployment insurance and income disruption. Traditional unemployment insurance is built around a clean layoff from an employer. But AI-related disruption may not always appear that way. A consultant may lose clients. A software contractor may face fewer projects. A designer may see rates fall. A worker may move from a salaried job into solo self-employment, not because work disappeared entirely, but because the organization of work changed. In these cases, the relevant question is not only whether an employer laid someone off. It is whether the worker experienced a meaningful earnings shock or transition.
Mass General Brigham sends cease-and-desist to Nurses Association over ‘significant noise’ related to strike
July 13, 2026 // Mass General Brigham sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Massachusetts Nurses Association Friday over “significant noise” related to the nurses and technician’s strike that began Wednesday, the healthcare company announced. In a statement, Mass General Brigham wrote, “We have heard concerns from patients, families, visitors, staff, and nearby residents about the significant noise and activity outside the hospital, particularly overnight. Because this disruption is affecting residents and the hospital’s healing environment and creating challenges for patients and care teams, this afternoon we sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Massachusetts Nurses Association regarding excessive noise and other disruptive activities associated with the picketing, and we will be sharing a letter of apology with our neighbors.
Target Field concession workers go on strike ahead of Twins/Dodgers series
June 22, 2026 // Target Field concessions workers went on strike Monday, ahead of the Minnesota Twins hosting a three-game series against the L.A. Dodgers. Crowds are expected to be as big as they have been all season, with Shohei Ohtani in town. UNITE Here Local 17 says more than 500 employees will strike at 4 p.m. on June 22 if demands aren’t met for better health insurance, higher wages and more job protections.
The Beverage Market provides update about ongoing talks with striking workers, Teamsters Local 175 union
June 16, 2026 // Beer distribution company The Beverage Market said it wants to continue negotiations “in good faith” with striking workers involved in the current dispute between the company and the Teamsters Local 175 union. The current contract between the company and the union expired in early May. 49 workers at The Beverage Market began their strike May 12, and have been on the picket line ever since. Union members have said the company is asking for “unfair concessionary proposals” related to wages, insurance, and retirement.
CALIFORNIA: IHSS providers tricked into staying, overpaying
June 1, 2026 // Another provider who called for help navigating the union’s intentionally complicated opt-out process reported she was paying $45 a month in dues in addition to $53 a month for the dental insurance for just herself. That’s a whopping $98 dollars to hold onto dental insurance that could be purchased from an independent third party at a fraction of the cost. SEIU Local 2015 and United Domestic Workers (UDW), AFSMCE Local 3930 are the two unions representing more than a half million providers. Collectively, they rake in over $100 million in dues every year — money spent on inflated salaries for its leaders and political activity while providing lackluster representation. Yet the “discounted” dental packages can cost up to a third of a provider’s gross pay if they are only allotted a few hours a month.
Maple Grove Hospital nurses authorize strike amid ongoing contract talks
May 13, 2026 // The vote comes as nurses and hospital leadership return to the bargaining table Tuesday for their 30th negotiation session at North Memorial’s Robbinsdale campus. Maple Grove nurses are working to secure their first union contract. The union says nurses are pushing to close gaps in pay, insurance and pension benefits compared to nurses at North Memorial’s Robbinsdale Hospital, who already have a contract in place. The Minnesota Nurses Association is also seeking stronger staffing protections and improved working conditions. Union leaders say the hospital has experienced a 33% turnover rate over the past three years.
BIW union on strike after failed contract negotiations
March 24, 2026 // Six weeks ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited BIW, encouraging workers to build warships as fast as they can. Some of those workers are now on strike. Members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen Association voted on Sunday to reject the proposed “best and final offer” from General Dynamics and BIW. The strike of more than 600 workers would also extend beyond BIW to other General Dynamics locations across the world.
Newsom signs bill giving 800,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in California the right to unionize
October 7, 2025 // California is the second state where Uber and Lyft drivers can unionize as independent contractors. Massachusetts voters passed a ballot referendum in November allowing unionization, while drivers in Illinois and Minnesota are pushing for similar rights.