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☆ 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.

☆ Hard work just doesn't pay like it used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today's workers, especially gig workers, don't have the security that hard work once promised. Fueling the pessimism about hard work might be that Americans have "been doing nothing but hard work for the last two decades," Jennifer Klein, a Yale labor historian, told Insider. Blame the rise of gig work for hard work not paying offThough Americans work fewer hours now than they have in years past, they're working harder than ever. As a result, "people have experienced hard work and intensified work, but in very, very unpleasant and not particularly rewarding terms," she added. However, deregulation of employment and the dismantling of the New Deal structures of fair work have decoupled hard work and security, Klein said.

☆ Why so many Americans hate their work hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Lower-income workers want to work more, and higher-income workers want to work less. In fact, nearly a quarter of low-income workers making less than $47,000 a year want to work more hours. On the flipside, almost a third of middle- and high-income workers say they work too many hours, according to a Pew Research Center report released Thursday. Workers are left either wanting to work more but can't get the hours, or they want to work less but feel they shouldn't. When surveyed, lower-income workers would likely jump at the opportunity to work more hours to earn more.

Since then, the ways we work have shifted dramatically, and it's time for retirement to catch up. Small businesses are less inclined to provide retirement plans. There are seasonal workers, gig workers, freelance workers, independent contractors, and recognition of the work of caregivers. The pension system and other retirement plans need to address the inherent inequities of previous centuries. Most large corporations still offer sponsor retirement plans, but many employees aren't eligible because of years of service and vesting requirements.

☆ Workers at $12 billion HR startup Deel say they may have been misclassified as independent contractors. Deel says it has not.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jenna Gyimesi | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Over half the company's workers are classified as independent contractors — including the CEO. But in a recent Insider feature, workers at the $12 billion company said they have concerns Deel may have misclassified them and their colleagues as independent contractors. At least half the company's 2,000 workers around the world are employed as independent contractors. Many workers that Insider spoke to said there seems to be no noticeable difference in the responsibilities of independent contractors and employees. While most independent contractors work on short-term tasked based projects, contracts reviewed by Insider showed independent contractors at Deel work for multiple years at a time.

☆ Just Eat’s employment U-turn won’t travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) Chief Executive Jitse Groen is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. That marks a U-turn from Groen’s 2021 claim that the gig worker model “led to precarious working conditions”. Just Eat Takeaway will employ food-delivery drivers in the UK as independent contractors or through third party agencies. Sacrificing workers’ rights amid a cost-of-living crisis also doesn’t make Groen look good. But with the European Union passing the legislation to improve workers’ rights, Just Eat Takeaway seems to be exploiting a Brexit loophole.

☆ Uber, Lyft trade group asks Biden's labor nominee to explain position on gig workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - A trade group representing rideshare and delivery companies such as Uber (UBER.N) and Lyft (LYFT.O) is asking President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor, Julie Su, to explain her position on worker-classification rules. The group earlier this month said Su's record is "troubling" and called for a "meticulous review" of her record in the Senate confirmation process. The Department of Labor in October proposed a rule that would make it more difficult for companies to treat workers as independent contractors, which would shake up ride-hailing, delivery and other industries that rely on gig workers. The Department of Labor and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deel Speed: The inside story of a $12 billion HR startup's breakneck growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Insider spoke with more than 30 current or former Deel workers about the HR company's extraordinary rise, and the unconventional tactics that made it possible. "I think if you talk to anyone, they would say that Alex is the face but all decisions run through Phillipe," one former Deel worker told Insider. "They lose every employment and labor protection," Valerio De Stefano, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, said of independent contractors. Alex Bouaziz, Deel on Centre Stage during day two of Collision 2022 at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada. The company didn't have an internal human-resources team until sometime in 2021, by which point it had grown to hundreds of people.

☆ Uber, Lyft trade group questions Biden's labor nominee's gig workers stance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Rideshare and delivery companies want the Biden administration's nominee for the Department of Labor to clarify her position on an incoming worker-classification rule that could expand workers' rights, a trade group representing the companies said on Monday. The Department of Labor in October proposed a rule that would make it more difficult for companies to treat workers as independent contractors, which would shake up ride-hailing, delivery and other industries that rely on gig workers. Before joining the U.S. Department of Labor, Su was the secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and before then was California labor commissioner from 2011-2018. A report on her tenure released in May 2013 found that her work resulted in a spike in enforcement activity. Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

March 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) and subsidiary Postmates Inc challenging a California law that makes it more difficult for them to save money by treating workers as independent contractors. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state must face claims that the law known as AB5 is unconstitutional because it improperly singles out the industry while exempting many others. The decision comes after a California state appeals court on Monday revived a ballot measure passed by nearly 60% of voters in 2020 that exempts app-based transportation services such as Uber and rival Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) from the scope of AB5, which had been struck down by a judge. Uber and the California Attorney General's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision. That means Uber is subject to the law while pet-sitting service Wag, which has been called "Uber for dogs," is not.

March 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) and subsidiary Postmates Inc claiming a California law that makes it more difficult for them to save money by treating workers as independent contractors is unconstitutional. In a major win for the gig economy, which heavily relies on contractors, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state must face claims that the law improperly singles out "gig economy" companies while exempting other industries. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New YorkOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wall Street ends green as inflation cools, bank jitters ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Financial stocks clawed back some losses, with the S&P 500 Banks index (.SPXBK) coming back from its steepest one-day sell-off since June 2020. Bank contagion fears were allayed on Tuesday as reassurances by U.S. President Joe Biden and other global policymakers vowed the crisis would be contained. Even so, inflation has a considerable way to go before approaching the central bank's average annual 2% target. [1/4] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 14, 2023. The S&P 500 banking index (.SPXBK) reclaimed territory lost to Monday's plunge, its biggest one-day drop since June 2020.

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