Today’s News & Commentary — June 26, 2018

A new study by the National Bureau of Economic research shows that the gig economy is perpetuating the gender pay gap, MarketWatch reports.  According to the study, which was distributed on Monday, women Uber drivers earn 93 cents on the dollar compared to men.  The study’s authors found that the pay gap is caused by the length of experience women drivers have with Uber, preferences over work hours and location, and driving speed.  Another study recently released by Bankrate.com confirms a gender pay gap in the gig economy; according to the Bankrate study, men average $989 per month from gig work compared to women’s $361 per month.

Fired Amazon workers can appeal their discharge to a panel of their co-workers, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.  The company announced the appeal program last year, stating that it had been too quick fire employees rather than addressing issues in other ways.  The appeal process has a reputation of unfairness, however, and has created resentment among the e-commerce giant’s staff.  Seattle employment lawyer George Tamblyn told Bloomberg that the panels are “a kangaroo court.”

A new study shows that almost half of all LGBTQ employees remain closeted at work, USA Today reports.  The study, released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, found that 46 percent of LGBT employees are not open about their sexuality at work for fear of being stereotyped, making people feel uncomfortable or losing connections with coworkers.  The study’s results have only slightly changed since it was first conducted in 2008, when it recorded the number of closeted employees at 51 percent.

In international labor news, a 24-hour general strike in Argentina largely shut down the country’s economic activity on Monday, Al-Jazeera reports.  The strike was called by the country’s largest trade union confederation, CGT, and it disrupted bus, train, taxi and airline services.  The unions were demanding salary raises and protesting the Argentine government’s $50 billion loan from the IMF.  According to the transport ministry, 600 flights were cancelled due to work stoppages and at least 71,000 passengers were affected.