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Category:Gig Economy

Gig News: Judge Rejects Settlement in Lyft Driver Class Action

Apr 8, 2016 Jon Weinberg

In a significant development concerning Cotter v. Lyft, a major federal class action challenging the classification of gig economy workers as independent contractors, Reuters reports that Judge Vince Chhabria has rejected a proposed $12.25 million settlement. Under the proposed settlement drivers would have received an average of $56, while for mileage reimbursement alone (notwithstanding other benefits of employee […]

Portable Benefits and the Gig Economy: A Backgrounder

Apr 8, 2016 Adi Kamdar

The debate surrounding the gig economy has cast light on workers who depend for their livelihood on multiple sources of income. For example, an Uber driver may also be working for Lyft, and a freelance website designer may have five clients at the same time. But when classified as contractors, these workers may miss out […]

Gig News: Uber Seeks to Delay O'Connor Trial, Drivers Pursue New Claims

Apr 7, 2016 Jon Weinberg

Bloomberg reports that as the June trial date approaches for O’Connor v. Uber, the major California federal class action challenging Uber’s classification of drivers as independent contractors, both Uber and the drivers are pursing potentially-drastic changes to the suit. Uber Seeks Trial Delay As stated in a court filing yesterday, Uber seeks to delay the trial pending the 9th […]

Gig News — March 8, 2016

Mar 8, 2016 Jon Weinberg

In addition to yesterday’s news out of California, there have been several recent developments affecting workers in the gig economy. The labor movement appears to be embracing the conclusion that gig economy workers are employees. The AFL-CIO released a statement affirming that “working people in the gig economy share a single common designation: employees” and […]

Gig News: California Agency Again Finds Uber Driver an Employee

Mar 7, 2016 Jon Weinberg

On Friday, SF Weekly reported that the California Employment Development Department found a second former Uber driver to be an employee, and thus eligible for unemployment benefits, with more drivers possibly to follow. Patrick Ely was awarded $350 a week after completing a form and a telephone interview. In awarding benefits, the agency determined that […]

Why Some Gig Economy Startups Are Reclassifying Workers as Employees

Feb 19, 2016 Adi Kamdar

While gig economy behemoths like Uber and Lyft are fighting tooth and nail to keep classifying their workers as independent contractors and not employees, a steady stream of prominent startups have made the switch from 1099 to W2. The most recent company to begin employing its workers is Honor, a healthcare startup that sends caregivers […]

Gig News — February 12, 2016

Feb 12, 2016 Jon Weinberg

There might be problems with the recent class-action settlement Lyft reached with drivers. According to Reuters, “U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco issued several written questions about the deal, including some on the key issue of whether drivers for Lyft should be independent workers or employees.” Judge Chhabria must approve the settlement. Attorneys for both […]

Gig News: Union Files NLRB Petition to Represent Uber Drivers in New York

Feb 3, 2016 Jon Weinberg

POLITICO New York reports that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1430 filed a formal petition with the National Labor Relations Board to represent 600 Uber drivers who serve New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. The NLRB case number is 29-RC-168855. The filing of the petition is believed to be the first formal attempt to organize […]

Scheiber on Uber Drivers: More (and more) Evidence of Employee Status

Feb 3, 2016 Benjamin Sachs

As Sophie covered in the News and Commentary today, Noam Scheiber has a superb piece up at the NYT on mounting dissatisfaction among, and protest by, workers in the gig economy. The article is rich with interviews of gig workers, including Uber drivers. And it provides more and more evidence of what has seemed fairly clear for some time now: […]

Is Uber Wagging the Dog With Its Moonlighting Drivers?

Feb 1, 2016 Noah Zatz

There is a math problem with Uber’s most powerful argument for classifying its drivers as independent contractors, not employees. That argument emphasizes how weakly attached to Uber most drivers are, as evidenced by how many drivers work very few hours per week. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick recently defended the company’s labor practices by citing company […]

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OnLabor

Law. Workers. Organizing.

OnLabor is a blog devoted to workers, unions, and their politics. We interpret our subject broadly to include the current crisis in the traditional union movement (why union decline is happening and what it means for our society); the new and contested forms of worker organization that are filling the labor union gap; how work ought to be structured and managed; how workers ought to be represented and compensated; and the appropriate role of government — all three branches — in each of these issues.

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Gig News: Judge Rejects Settlement in Lyft Driver Class Action

Portable Benefits and the Gig Economy: A Backgrounder

Gig News: Uber Seeks to Delay O'Connor Trial, Drivers Pursue New Claims

Gig News — March 8, 2016

Gig News: California Agency Again Finds Uber Driver an Employee

Why Some Gig Economy Startups Are Reclassifying Workers as Employees

Gig News — February 12, 2016

Gig News: Union Files NLRB Petition to Represent Uber Drivers in New York

Scheiber on Uber Drivers: More (and more) Evidence of Employee Status

Is Uber Wagging the Dog With Its Moonlighting Drivers?