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Stories Tagged as

Gig workers

New government rule restricts who can be considered an independent contractor

by Mitchell Hartman
Jan 10, 2024
The likely outcome of the rule is to designate more people as employees. That has some employers through the gig economy worried.
The new Biden administration rule could put more pressure on app-based gig economy companies, such as Uber, that relies heavily on independent contractors.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Local governments are employing gig workers and offering better benefits

by Kai Ryssdal and Richard Cunningham
Jun 26, 2023
Cities are among the biggest buyers of flexible labor, and they're improving terms for gig work, says Xavier de Souza Briggs of Brookings.
Gig workers, like those who drive for ride-hailing companies, may soon have more jobs in local government.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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How ride-hail companies use data to pay drivers less

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Apr 10, 2023
Uber and Lyft drivers receive personalized wages based on data the companies collect about them, according to a new legal study.
A protest against California's Proposition 22 in December. One effect of the law is that ride-hail drivers are not entitled to a guaranteed minimum wage.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Gig workers are signing up for ACA health benefits, though many still go uncovered

by Blake Farmer
Nov 21, 2022
Gig workers are a major reason this year's open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act individual marketplace is likely to be big.
Sharon Barker, an Affordable Care Act navigator, discusses open enrollment in Nashville, Tennessee. She said more of her clients are working in the gig economy and using the individual marketplace to support a more flexible career.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News
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Biden administration proposes rule that could reclassify gig workers

by Lily Jamali
Oct 12, 2022
The federal government steps into a regulatory issue long left to states to figure out, observers say.
Uber's stock dropped Tuesday as investors saw higher costs for workers' benefits in the administration's plan to reclassify gig workers.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images
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NYC's delivery drivers depend on e-bikes, but charging and storing them isn't easy

by Samantha Fields
Sep 20, 2022
E-bikes are particularly popular among food delivery workers, and an informal, underground economy has sprung up to support them.
New York City is considering banning e-bikes from public housing after a number of fires have been attributed to their rechargeable batteries.
Eduardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images
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Economic Pulse

How do gig workers fit into the rest of today's labor force?

by David Brancaccio and Jarrett Dang
Aug 31, 2022
Gig workers, like those who drive for Uber and deliver for DoorDash, occupy a murky position between employee and independent contractor as defined by labor laws.
Gig workers in the U.S. are subject to a patchwork of regulations that differ from state to state and city to city, says Terri Gerstein.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
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Gig work rebounds but some gig workers struggle with inflation

by Mitchell Hartman
Jul 8, 2022
Gig workers now have access to unemployment benefits as the economy has opened back up.
As the economy has opened up, so too have opportunities and benefits for gig workers such as drivers for ride-hailing services.
Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
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New report shines a light on the deaths of rideshare drivers in the gig economy

by Adhiti Bandlamudi
Apr 20, 2022
Because they are not considered employees, gig workers and their families often have fewer financial protections when they are hurt killed on the job.
More than 50 gig work drivers have been killed on the job in violent incidents since 2017, according to a new report by advocacy group Gig Workers Rising.
Vera_Petrunina/Getty Images
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Washington state eyes law that would give rideshare workers benefits, independent status

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Mar 9, 2022
The state is the latest to try and balance the appeal of flexible schedules for drivers while ensuring companies offer benefits like minimum pay and sick leave.
For many ride-hailing drivers, unemployment insurance and other benefits are major issues.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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