A coalition of gig workers and labor rights advocates are anticipating that Uber, Lyft and other companies will use their nine-figure playbook from California's Prop. 22 fight.
More than 2,000 food couriers snarled traffic in Times Square through pouring rain in protest April 21 demanding better working conditions and protection from violent assaults. The mass demonstration was organized by Los Deliveristas Unidos.
Legislation under consideration in New York Massachusetts and other states look like they might offer gig workers some benefits in terms of limited bargaining rights, but they would come at a high cost.
“It’s about creating a distraction and a real carve-out from the PRO Act,” said Bhairavi Desai, director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
Gig economy companies were not true pioneers. The truth behind their dominance is their aggressive market takeovers, aided by their precarious labor model. The piece wage’s effect is to induce workers to toil longer and harder for less.
Data is like sunlight on employers’ wider patterns of technology use: without it, workers have little recourse to effectively address workplace concerns or combat violations of labor law.
These Indigenous Guatemalan and Mexican workers keep New Yorkers fed during the pandemic. They want fair wages, bathroom access and a place to shelter from the cold. They could be the face of the city’s next labor battle.
UMAW differentiates itself from similar unions through its vast scope, seeking systemic shifts industry-wide, inclusive of various genres and practices.
Enthusiasm for strikes, walkouts, sick-outs, and pickets has surged. A new, progressive wing of the Democratic Party, represented by young women of color like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar—has won the enthusiasm of millions of young people.
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