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☆ It's a cruel summer for Airbnb and Vrbo hosts, and meh listings are getting squeezed hard
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the age of remote work, employers are quiet quitting on employees. Decision-makers at family offices revealed what it's really like managing billions for the ultra wealthy. But first: It's shaping up to be a cruel summer for Airbnb and Vrbo hosts. The Airbnb hosts getting squeezedReal-estate reshapeBlake Callahan / Getty ImagesThe real-estate industry is facing an existential threat. In the age of remote work, employers are doing it, too.

Persons: Matt Turner, Read, Brian Chesky, Charley Gallay, Vrbo, That's, Blake Callahan, Jonathan Ernst, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Bryan Griffin, Insider's Ben Bergman, Arantza Pena Popo, It's, Satya Nadella, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: luxe, Reuters Workers aren't, Stanford University, The Vanderbilt, Waltons, Microsoft Locations: Silicon, Airbnb, New York

☆ Your employer may be quiet quitting on you
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Some bemoaned it as quiet quitting; others celebrated it as a much-needed correction to the toxic demands of hustle culture. But employees, it turns out, aren't the only ones distancing themselves from the office: Employers are quiet quitting on the whole idea of traditional full-time employment. If workers are going to be remote, the thinking seems to go, why not get the cheapest remote workers available? That ruled out contractors, because contractors work remotely. And that could be a huge problem for everyone, given America's insistence on tying basic benefits to full-time employment.

Persons: Nicholas Bloom, Slack, they're, —, Gen Zers, It's, Bloom, they'll, Jessica Schultz, she's, Schultz, They're, it's, Liz Wilke, Aki Ito Organizations: Atlanta Fed, Stanford University, McKinsey Locations: American

☆ DeSantis pledges undocumented worker crackdown if elected to the White House, doubling down on plan Trump retreated from when he was president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis' border security plan released Monday has numerous similarities to that of 2024 frontrunner former President Donald Trump. It was part of a sweeping immigration plan he unveiled in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, on Monday. In an email sent to reporters, the Trump campaign on Monday accused DeSantis of copying and pasting the former president's border plan. Most notably, the DeSantis plan agreed with Trump's idea to disallow children born to undocumented immigrants to receive automatic US citizenship. Just as when Trump was president, DeSantis pledged to remove people living in the US illegally from being counted toward the Census.

Persons: DeSantis, —, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Trump, aren't, The Trump, Joe Biden, Paul Hennessy, Liam McBurney, MARIE UZCATEGUI Organizations: Service, Gov, Trump, The New York Times, Trump Organization, The, Florida Gov, Getty, Getty Images, GOP, Republican, US, Republicans, Border Patrol, Democratic Locations: Eagle Pass , Texas, Florida, Bedminster , New Jersey, AFP, Eagle, Texas, Sacramento , California

☆ Target races to bring next-day delivery to customers farther from city centers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drivers from Target-owned delivery service Shipt pick up packages from the extension facility and deliver them to customers' doorsteps. The extension facility is part of Target's effort to offer next-day delivery to more customers. The extension facility adds to that model and expands the radius for faster deliveries. Target said the extension facility will bring next-day delivery within reach of 500,000 more customers near Atlanta. One of its rivals, Walmart , bucked the trend as online sales jumped 27% year over year in the U.S. in the fiscal first quarter.

Persons: Brian Cornell Organizations: Drivers, Target, Uber, Costco, Walmart Locations: Smyrna , Georgia, Atlanta, U.S

☆ New York City Sets New Minimum Wage for Food Delivery Workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Stefanos Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps more than any other American city, New York relies on a growing army of delivery workers who have braved successive waves of Covid, extreme weather and toxic air as remote work has reshaped the economy. Starting July 12, New York City’s app-based delivery workers must be paid at least $17.96 an hour, not including tips — the first such minimum pay-rate in the country for an industry that exploded in popularity during the pandemic. Critics say the rule does not go far enough to compensate the workers, who must absorb a range of expenses as independent contractors, including frequent injuries on the job. The city’s more than 60,000 delivery workers, who courier takeout, groceries and other goods, are paid an average of about $11 an hour, after factoring in tips and expenses, less than New York’s $15 minimum wage, according to an analysis by the city. They also cover their own health insurance, business expenses and additional taxes.

Persons: Eric Adams Organizations: City Council Locations: New York

☆ 31-year-old mom started her CBD business from home in Hawaii—3 years later, it brings in $100,000 annually
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A friend recommended she try CBD oil, which is derived from hemp plants, the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana. Young continued to take CBD oil on a regular basis and welcomed her second daughter, Ho'olehua, in 2019. In May 2020, Young was ready to sell her first product, a CBD oil that blends hemp flower and coconut oil, online. Now, 'Āina Organics is sold in 25 stores, in both California and Hawaii. After deducting the operating costs to maintain the business, Āina Organics's profit stands at about $50,000, according to tax documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Persons: Grace Young, Young, Keith Andrade, Ka'auwai, Andrade, Ho'olehua, Meleana, Alexandra Masihy, daydreaming, they'd Organizations: Omao Labs, USDA, Hawaii, Young, CNBC Locations: Kauai, Hawaii, California

☆ Has ‘Gig Work’ Become a Dirty Word?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In other words, for some, gig work has become shorthand for instability and low wages. It was vetoed by the governor Thursday, one sign of how fraught the question of protections for an ad hoc work force has become. The writers’ strike and demands have prompted renewed attention to gig work, where someone might work for a variety of companies, or for themselves, often with irregular hours. It’s an old concept, with musicians playing gigs and artists and other creative types working their own hours while selling their work. Over the last decade, the idea of gig work has been popularized by app-based platforms like Uber and Lyft, which classify their drivers as independent contractors and avoid treating them as employees.

☆ Firefighters who risked their lives fighting wildfires were paid less than legal minimum by a federal contractor, investigators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal contractor paid firefighters as little as $2.85/hour, according to the Department of Labor. Since 2010, the Oregon-based company KL Farms/Fire LLC has been awarded 72 federal contracts worth more than $2.6 million, according to government records. On average, per federal investigators, these workers put in an average of 70 hours a week fighting blazes in 2020 and 2021. In total, the Department of Labor said it recovered just over $152,000 in unpaid overtime and fringe benefits for 57 firefighters and truck drivers, with one worker receiving over $14,700. Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.comMay 25, 2023: This story was updated to include comment from KL Farms/Fire LLC.

So I quickly found a W-2 job and qualified, then quit the job months later and went back to freelancing. Why mortgage lenders get skittish around 1099 contractorsIf W-2 employees fit neatly inside the box occupied by typical, salaried employees, 1099 contractors present a bit like wild cards. While the former have signed a contract and work regular hours according to their employer's needs and schedule, the latter function as independent contractors (often called gig workers) who work job to job. The boxy conventions don't stop there: W-2 employees are paid via their employer's payroll, participate in employee benefit programs, and have payroll taxes withheld throughout the year. Rather than strike out, I balked and applied for and took a W-2 job just to qualify to buy my ex out of his half of equity in our family home.

☆ Minnesota Passes Bill Seeking to Ensure Minimum Wage for Gig Workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Minnesota Senate passed a bill on Sunday that would guarantee drivers for Uber and Lyft a minimum wage and other benefits, sending the measure to Gov. Drivers for Uber and Lyft are known as gig workers because they are treated as independent contractors, meaning they are responsible for their own expenses and are not guaranteed a minimum wage, health care or other benefits. The bill is a rare win for labor advocates in what has become a protracted, multistate battle over the rights of gig drivers and their status in the economy. Uber and Lyft have long argued that their drivers are independent contractors rather than employees. They say that drivers prefer being contractors because it allows them the flexibility to choose when they work, and many drivers work only part-time.

☆ Uber is trying to sway Chicago's mayor and Illinois Democrats against a bill seeking to make rides safer for customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An Illinois bill could hold companies like Uber and Lyft liable for harm done to passengers. Uber launched a "pressure campaign" to avoid liability for these incidents, the law group behind the bill said. JB Pritzker, it would eliminate an exemption in Illinois law that has protected ride-hailing companies since 2015. Salvi said Illinois exempted ride-hailing companies from the state's common-carrier civil-liability doctrine in 2015 to "allow them to come to market" and "give them an ability to compete." Moreover, the exemption has protected ride-hailing companies in even more extreme cases.

☆ I charge guests a $400 Airbnb cleaning fee. Here's why I'm OK with charging that and getting less bookings.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

We kept our cleaning fee low, around $75 an hour, and we used that money for supplies to clean the property ourselves. There are a handful of reasons why our cleaning fee is so highFirst, it's a large property. How much we pay the cleaning crew variesWe pay the cleaning crew anywhere from $150 to $300 per service, depending on how much cleaning is needed. Having a clean property matters more than anythingBefore most people book an Airbnb, they usually read all of the reviews. The property costs money to maintainThere are a lot of costs that come out of our pockets as Airbnb property owners.

The shoe retailer missed analysts' expectations on both earnings and revenue in the first quarter. Catalent lowered its full-year earnings and revenue guidance ahead of its business update call. Applied Materials – Shares of the chip maker slipped more than 1% premarket despite the company posting earnings and revenue for the most recent quarter that beat expectations on Wall Street. DXC posted revenue that came in below analysts' expectations from FactSet and earnings that were about in line with expectations. Deere — The tractor maker's shares rose almost 4% after it announced an earnings and revenue beat for its fiscal second-quarter.

☆ UFC maintains links with Russian fighters and fighters connected to sanctioned Chechen warlord despite Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We have been saying for some time that these sports organizations need to prohibit Kadyrov’s fighters to perform,” he said. There’s also its decision to allow Russian fighters in general to compete in the world’s premium mixed martial arts organization. Some critics have suggested Russian fighters in general should be suspended, like has happened in some other sports, for the country’s involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty ImagesUFC’s primary focusThere are 20 active Russian fighters currently competing in their organized events, according to the UFC website. CNN approached all 20 of those Russian fighters, only two responded initially and ultimately none of them agreed to an interview.

☆ Misclassifying employees as gig workers creates 'a race to the bottom' for businesses, Biden's top labor and antitrust regulators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Businesses have an incentive to misclassify workers as contractors to undermine their competitors, according to the DOJ Antitrust Division. It's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those called "gig workers" — freelancers, contractors, on-call workers, and temp agency workers, who for decades have increasingly replaced full-time employees as independent contractors. Not so for gig workers. In 2018, 20% of workers were contract workers, and 65% of part-time workers and over half of contract workers went without benefits, according to NPR. "Our goals are the same," Abruzzo said, as NLRB and DOJ Antitrust want to end "misclassification and employment structures that cause vertical constraints on competition."

☆ How on-demand delivery services hobbled America's biggest city
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But even the largest city in the country isn’t designed to handle the rise of online ordering and the influx of delivery workers. The way New York City handles these issues will shape the response in other major cities. “People view delivery workers as dirty, smelly and taking up too much space,” said Wood, a member of Workers Justice Project, an advocacy group for delivery workers in New York City. The growing dependency on e-bikes has been driven by demands on delivery workers, including faster delivery and bigger areas to cover. “But delivery workers are on the front lines of this and it’s even more necessary for them.”

☆ Real estate agents are tacking ludicrous 'junk fees' on to every home purchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The fee goes by many names: an administrative fee, a transaction fee, or even a "regulatory compliance" fee. Despite the controversy, all signs indicate that brokerages large and small have increasingly embraced the admin fee in recent years. The vast majority of real-estate agents are independent contractors who rely on commissions to earn a living. Admin fees may be one of the most polarizing topics among real-estate agents today. "I'm in a place in my business right now where I can justify paying that," the Las Vegas agent told me.

☆ An explosion of hidden 'junk fees' is making every home more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The Democrat-led Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 11-10 to approve Su, a civil rights lawyer and former California labor commissioner who has served as a deputy labor secretary since 2021. If Su is confirmed, she will replace Marty Walsh, who stepped down as labor secretary last month to become executive director of the National Hockey League players' union. Using contractors can be up to 30% cheaper for companies than employees. Industry groups representing companies in the ride-hailing, delivery and other sectors using contractors have launched an aggressive campaign to oppose Su's nomination. “The next Labor Secretary must embrace the flexible earning opportunities that app-based platforms have unleashed for millions of Americans," Sharp said.

Circuit Court of Appeals said that Uber drivers do not qualify for an exemption from the arbitration law for workers involved in interstate commerce because they rarely cross state lines when transporting passengers. The Federal Arbitration Act requires the enforcement of agreements to bring employment-related disputes in arbitration rather than court, but exempts transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce. A majority of private-sector U.S. workers, and most Uber drivers, have signed such agreements. The 3rd Circuit on Wednesday said evidence presented in the case showed that nearly two-thirds of Uber drivers never cross state lines, and only 2.5% of Uber trips are interstate. "Take away interstate trips, and the fundamental character of Uber drivers' work remains the same," Circuit Judge Anthony Scirica wrote for the court.

☆ US Senate Republicans go after Biden's labor nominee for stance on Uber, Lyft, others
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Julie Su speaks at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Labor Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2023. She needs at least 50 votes in a Senate where Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority. Industry groups that represent companies employing gig labor have launched an aggressive campaign to oppose her nomination. Cassidy also accused her of eliminating independent contracting during her tenure as Biden's deputy secretary of labor. It is not a given that all Senate Democrats will support Su.

☆ A Big Labor Partisan Named Julie Su
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Potomac Watch: Democrats belatedly admit Dianne Feinstein is too old to serve. Images: AP Composite: Mark KellyPresident Biden’s legislative agenda has little chance in the current Congress, but that means he’ll try to govern even more through regulation. It also means his regulatory and Cabinet nominees deserve extra scrutiny, and an example is Julie Su , his choice to run the Department of Labor. Currently the deputy secretary, Ms. Su has a record of putting union interests above those of individual workers or flexible business models that workers like but unions oppose. As labor secretary in California, she drove implementation of the state’s AB5 law, which reclassified independent contractors as employees.

☆ 'Love Is Blind' is hell on earth: Contestants say producers deprived them of food and sleep, preyed on their anxieties, and refused to let them quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

After the 10 days, cast members must decide whether they want to get engaged to another contestant sight unseen — or go home. The season-two contestant Nick Thompson said "Love Is Blind" didn't adequately support its cast members — during or after filming. Many cast members believed "Love Is Blind" would be a cut above other reality shows. The first evening in Cancún, producers told Ruhl she couldn't attend a party for all the newly engaged couples because they thought she might have COVID-19. In a later episode he again became infuriated and threatened to leave when Reed came home late from clubbing with other cast members.

☆ What Are People Even Doing All Day?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Malia Wollan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

For Laroi, there is no clearly defined day or night. Sometimes he drives all night and sleeps all day; sometimes he sleeps all day and drives all night. One day a week, Sophie works late so she can meet with far-flung colleagues in real time. Now she has enough energy left at the end of the day to go grocery shopping and cook dinner. The time markers reflect the time of day when participants told an interviewer they would normally be doing the activity shown.

☆ The U.S. Built a European-Style Welfare State. It’s Largely Over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Claire Cain Miller | Alicia Parlapiano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

expansion Child care provider grants Food assistance ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Emergency food benefits Free school meals Through Sept. 2026 Remote WIC services Paused work requirement No expiration Meals outside of school No expiration Food benefit increase WIC increase Health care ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Medicaid continuity Through Dec. 2025 A.C.A. subsidies Subsidized COBRA Housing ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Foreclosure ban Eviction ban Through Sept. 2025 Rental aid Through Sept. 2030 Housing vouchers Unemployment ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Self-employed qualify Relaxed rules Extended duration Extra $600/week Extra $300-$400/week Extra for self-employed Extra $300/week Note: The selection of programs is not comprehensive, but it represents those with the highest costs or those affecting the most people. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Emergency food benefits Gave all households maximum Free school meals For all children Remote WIC services Waived need to appear in person Through Sept. 2026 Paused work requirement For adults without kids Meals outside of school Summer meals made permanent No expiration Increase in max. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Foreclosure moratorium For federally backed mortgages Eviction moratorium Rental assistance New emergency program Through Sept. 2025 Housing vouchers Additional funding Through Sept. 2030 Note: While funding for emergency housing vouchers is available through September 2030, vouchers cannot be issued to new households after September of this year. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Benefits for self-employed Including gig workers Relaxed rules Work searching not required Extra weeks of benefits Up to 53 additional Extra $600 per week Extra $300-$400 per week Depending on the state Extra for self-employed $100 more per week Extra $300 per weekAnother is support for families with young children.

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