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☆ 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.

☆ Move over McKinsey: This Gen Z founder is offering fellow grads an alternative to delayed start dates at consulting firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He's attracting fellow 2023 graduates whose start dates were delayed at major consulting firms. These delays mean recent grads won't be pulling in big salaries from the major consulting firms — at least not right away. InstagramForced to rethink their futuresMany business students follow a traditional path from the Ivy League to top investment-banking or consulting firms. One, who has an offer to start at McKinsey in February, told Ou he is considering going to law school instead. By assisting gig workers, Ou expects Talentifyr's workers will see a direct and positive impact from their work.

☆ 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."

☆ Gig work value is too great to rush a US overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Julie Su, the president’s choice for labor secretary, has a history of redefining gig work. And while health insurance and retirement savings are valuable perks, gig workers view flexibility in the same way. Half of surveyed gig workers, meanwhile, make less than a quarter of their income from freelancing. Gig work has also grown alongside traditional employment, not at its expense. With most gig workers happy as they are, a one-size-fits-all rethink threatens pointless harm to a growing corner of the economy.

☆ Some DoorDash workers are demanding higher tips before delivery — and customers are freaking out
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some DoorDash workers are asking customers for extra tips to deliver their food. The workers accept orders, then ask customers for a higher tip before dropping purchases off. Screenshots of a DoorDash customer's conversation with a Dasher. Some DoorDash customers are getting similar requests for additional tips from workers, whom DoorDash calls Dashers, according to posts on social media and conversations that Insider had with a Dasher and two customers. "Obviously, I think Dashers asking customers for an extra tip after accepting an order is not OK," she told Insider.

☆ Some Uber and DoorDash drivers say rich people are the worst tippers, but they can count on the middle class
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Many gig workers rely on tips to make ends meet, but some say tipping is getting worse. Three gig workers told Insider that people who appear to be wealthy are the worst tippers. Several delivery drivers replied to the story, and while a few related to Jay's experience, most of the workers Insider heard from said that the opposite was true in their experience: Rich people are the worst tippers. Drivers for companies like Uber and DoorDash say they're reliant on tips to make ends meet, but many of them have told Insider that tipping has gotten worse in recent years. When reached for comment, an Uber spokesperson told Insider that tipping has risen considerably for both Uber and Uber Eats over the last few years.

☆ Uber confident on profit as ride-sharing makes strong start to 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Uber branding is seen on private hire vehicle at Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland, March 22, 2023. Shares of the company rose 10%, while those of smaller peer Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) gained 4% in pre-market trading. Uber is benefiting from its dominant position in key global markets as travel rebounds from a pandemic-induced lull. The dominant U.S. ride-sharing company also forecast gross bookings, the total dollar value from its services, between $33 billion and $34 billion, compared with expectations of $33 billion. Uber said adjusted EBITDA came in at $761 million, its highest on record as a public company.

☆ Uber CEO reveals 4 ways to boost your rider ratings — and tipping isn't one of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed the best way for passengers to increase their ratings. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi shared four pieces of advice for passengers looking to boost their ratings in an interview with CNBC Tuesday morning. He said a only a minority of Uber riders tip. Khosrowshahi's insight is based on his experience going undercover as an Uber driver last fall in order to better understand the issues facing gig workers. He told CNBC he's a 5-star driver and the tips are "pretty good."

☆ Premarket stocks: Why a US recession is probably coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That would catapult the United States into recession during the second half of 2023 (Europe and the UK will feel it even earlier). It’s possible that the economy sees disinflation in a way that it hasn’t in previous cycles.”Has the gig economy peaked? So is the height of the gig economy behind us? “It hasn’t changed anything about the odds of a recession,” the chief executive said in response to a question from CNN during a press call. “Down the road, rates going way up, real estate, recession — that’s a whole different issue.

☆ Uber and Lyft drivers share 3 reasons why the ride-hailing giants, not customers, are partially responsible for the bad tips they get
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Drivers told Insider riders should tip and that Uber was partly to blame for low tips. Insider spoke with several ride-hailing and delivery drivers, each of whom pushed back on many of the arguments made by the commenters on the Times story. Chris, a 28-year-old Uber Eats driver in upstate New York, said: "Uber has successfully convinced customers that drivers get paid way more than we do." In-app tipping wasn't even an option for Uber riders until 2017, roughly five years after Lyft rolled out the feature. He said he always tipped at least 20% whenever he took an Uber, Lyft, or cab.

☆ The gig economy boom is over as workers go back to traditional jobs, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But this could also be due to attractive wage growth in traditional jobs per the report and Zhou. Additionally, some gig workers could be "rotating into the traditional job market because the wage growth in the traditional job market has been so phenomenal," Zhou said. The report stated that "for those gig workers who also have a traditional job, large wage increases in their primary jobs could mean less need to make up any shortfall in the gig economy. Gig workers who also hold traditional jobs are typically in sectors like restaurants and retail, which have seen especially high wage growth. And while the share of gig workers doing delivery or social commerce has dropped, the analysis shows the share for ride-hailing has mainly been trending upward.

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.

☆ If you hate tipping delivery people, drivers for Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash want you to consider these 4 main arguments why you should anyway
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They responded to common reasons people don't want to tip their delivery drivers. Eight years later, Avedian said he's completed over 5,000 Uber and Lyft rides and a couple thousand food deliveries. Alix Anfang, an Uber spokesperson, told Insider that tipping has increased since 2020. "Food delivery has always had a high tipping rate, but the average tip on a delivery increased even further by about 20%." "If it wasn't for tips, delivery drivers wouldn't be making any money, period," Avedian said.

☆ Uber drivers lay out 4 reasons they think tipping has been getting worse — and why events like Taylor Swift concerts seem to make riders more generous
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ben and other drivers have some theories about why riders aren't as generous as they used to be. Ben, a full-time Uber and Uber Eats driver for five years, said he'd worked as many as 90 hours in one week to make ends meet. Last year, Ben earned roughly $77,000 pretax driving for Uber and Uber Eats. Sergio AvedianUltimately, Avedian said Uber riders' tipping habits today could be traced to the company's decisions several years ago. In-app tipping wasn't even an option for Uber riders until 2017, despite drivers pushing for it for years.

☆ 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.

☆ Companies like Uber and Amazon use AI to pay people different wages for the same work, a new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some companies use AI to pay workers "different amount for the same amount of work," per new research. As companies adopt AI, she's concerned these practices could become prevalent in other industries. According to Dubal, companies like Amazon and Uber have "massive data sets" on the contract workers using their delivery or rideshare platforms, including when they work, for how long, and what kind of pay they've taken for past jobs. One Uber driver Dubal interviewed, Domingo, recalled being one ride of short of unlocking a $100 bonus one evening, but then said he experienced 45 minutes of "dead time" in a popular area before he was able to get another ride. Dubal described the alleged variable pay system as the "gamblification of work," a sentiment other gig workers shared.

☆ 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.

☆ People are ticked that delivery drivers complained about stingy tips in a viral New York Times article. Here are the 5 main reasons people don't think they should tip more.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Food delivery drivers are struggling to make ends meet, according to a recent New York Times article. While many delivery drivers said they benefited from larger tips during the beginning of the pandemic, some said this generosity has since faded. Why should sushi delivery drivers earn 10 times as much as pizza delivery?" (3) Drivers should be tipped based on how difficult their delivery wasSome commenters argued that food delivery drivers' tips should be based on how far — and what weather they had to endure — to make the delivery. "Someday, all of these gig workers will be too old to keep this kind of hustle up.

☆ Battle over Biden labor nominee Julie Su heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Julie Su applauds while being nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the Labor secretary during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. Crucial senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to become deputy Labor Secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her confirmation for the top job. The AFL-CIO will target Montana, West Virginia, Arizona and Maine, communicating support for Su to its members to get them to contact their state senators. A spokesperson for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins said she does not support Su's nomination. She voted no on Su's deputy secretary nomination in 2021, as did all Republicans.

☆ 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.

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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ File Raiffeisen’s sanctions-bypass idea in the bin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Raiffeisen Bank International thinks it may have found a clever way to repatriate a small part of its Russian assets. Hence the idea to swap its stranded roubles against the frozen euros accumulated by Sberbank, the Kremlin-owned bank forced to unwind its operations by the war in Ukraine. Up to 400 million euros of its assets are now sitting idle in a frozen fund. Promoters of the idea, now being tested with regulators, reckon this might conform with sanctions because the swap would not involve sending hard currency to Russia. In reality, it would allow Russia’s largest bank to recover its frozen money, opening a massive loophole in the sanctions regime.

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