Today’s News and Commentary — July 12, 2017

JD Supra offers some analysis on the implementation of New York City’s “”Freelance Isn’t Free” Act, which took effect on May 15, 2017. The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, tasked with enforcing the new law, recently issued rules clarifying the Act’s provisions. Most interestingly, these rules invalidate contractual provisions that purport to waive or limit an independent contractor’s right to participate in or receive relief from a collective or class action. The rules will take effect on July 24, 2017.

Two recent stories explore the experience of being part of the “working poor.” The first, from the New York Times, asks “What do think poverty looks like?” The second, from Working-Class Perspectives, looks into what life is actually like for Uber drivers.

Janet Yellen spoke to Congress about the strength of recent job growth in her testimony today, the New York Times reports. Though the economy added 180,000 jobs a month through the first half of 2017, wage growth remains weak: average hourly earnings increased 2.5 percent during the 12 months ending in May.