Representation,Voice, and Collective Bargaining in the Gig Economy
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The “Gig” Economy
THE “GIG” ECONOMY DECEMBER 2016 AUTHOR SEATTLE JOBS INITIATIVE DESIREE PHAIR Indepentent Consultant “GIG” ECONOMY OVERVIEW The “gig economy” sums up the labor market reality demanded or dreaded by many of today’s workers. In his piece naming “gig” as the word of the year, National Public Radio’s Geoff Nunberg lists several labels that alternatively describe the gig economy phenomenon, including “the on-demand economy, the 10991 economy, the peer-to-peer economy, and freelance nation.”2 Although some workers may celebrate the freedom associated with a 1099 lifestyle, others may think of a “gig” as “an old word for a job you need that you can’t count on having tomorrow.”3 This report explores a variety of sources and discusses growth patterns, red flags, and questions worthy of further research relating to the gig economy. The report begins by examining national trends related to the percentage of non-employee (gig) workers within the national labor force, with estimates ranging anywhere from 5 percent to a third or more. Next, the report steps through information from two key analytical products: the 2015 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Contingent Worker Report and the Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) analysis of 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS) data on self-employed workers. Both reports found between 7 and 8 percent of workers fell within the report’s chosen label for non-employee workers, and both reports found that non-employee workers earned less than those with traditional employment. EMSI reports that Seattle Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) non-employee workers make just under $27,000 per year, compared to the nearly $76,000 per year earned by the average King County worker and approximately $58,000 earned by the average Snohomish County worker.4 This report also briefly looks at the limited information available regarding online gig workers, illustrates how one employer (Uber) has impacted some gig workers, and reviews some local Seattle policies which may require gig economy firms to offer benefits and allow unionization. -
Gig Economy: Who's Responsible for Worker Health and Safety?
Volume 5 • Issue 3 Summer 2019 VITALITYEMPLOYEE HEALTH ATLASSOLUTIONS Alternatives to Assessing 06 Pain as Fifth Vital Sign Gig Economy: Prepare Now for 08 2019-20 Flu Season Who’s Responsible for Clinical 09 Conversations Worker Health and Safety? Regulatory By Karen O’Hara 10 Update Workers’ Comp The term gig once conjured up images of musicians jamming after hours at a local 11 Roundup hangout. Now gig is used to describe all types of non-standard work arrangements. Health Promotion Everyone has an obligation to help ensure healthy and safe workplaces. 12 Programs But to understand ways in which employers are considered responsible for protecting gig workers, it’s important to first define the employment relationship, which is a moving target. Flu Shot Reminder What is Gig Work? . To avoid getting and spreading In the gig economy, service providers depend on web-based platforms and the flu, remember to get your flu smartphone apps to connect with consumers. shot this fall. Other non-standard work arrangements have similarities but may not rely Annual vaccination is recommended as much on communications technology for transactions. They may be because viruses change and immunity referred to, for example, as temporary, contract, contingent, part-time, on- declines over time. The vaccine call, direct-hire, on-demand or freelance jobs. Self-employed professionals who are retained to provide specific expertise fall into yet another category, protects against multiple viruses often for tax reasons. expected to be most common during the 2019-20 flu season. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for your body to develop infection-fighting antibodies. -
Capitalist Meltdo-Wn
"To face reality squarely; not to seek the line of least resistance; to call things by their right names; to speak t�e truth to the masses, no matter how bitter it may be; not to fear obstacles; to be true in little thi�gs as in big ones; to base one's progra.1!1 on the logic of the class struggle;. to be bold when the hour of action arrives-these are the rules of the Fourth International." 'Inequality, Unemployment & Injustice' Capitalist Meltdo-wn Global capitalism is currently in the grip of the most The bourgeois press is relentless in seizing on even the severe economic contraction since the Great Depression of smallest signs of possible "recovery" to reassure consumers the 1930s. The ultimate depth and duration of the down and investors that better days are just around thecomer. This turn remain to be seen, but there are many indicators that paternalistic" optimism" recalls similar prognosticationsfol point to a lengthy period of massive unemployment in the lowing the 1929 Wall Street crash: "Depression has reached imperialist camp and a steep fall in living standards in the or passed its bottom, [Assistant Secretary of Commerce so-called developing countries. Julius] Klein told the Detroit Board of Commerce, although 2 'we may bump along' for a while in returningto higher trade For those in the neocolonies struggling to eke out a living levels " (New Yo rk Times, 19 March 19 31).The next month, on a dollar or two a day, this crisis will literally be a matter in a major speech approved by President Herbert Hoover, of life and death. -
Confronting Precarity in the Warhol Economy: Notes from New York City
CONFRONTING PRECARITY IN THE WARHOL ECONOMY Notes from New York City Greig de Peuter (Received 9 June 2012; accepted 12 September 2012) Normative cultural economy discourse on New York City embraces the creative industries as engines of job creation but neglects the quality of employment within them. This article sets out to both illuminate the precarious conditions of nonstandard workers in New York’s vaunted creative sectors and identify emerging collective responses to precarity in this city. Three areas of labour activity are focused upon: fashion industry frictions, art world agitations, and independent worker initiatives. Under each of these headings, the article profiles two organizations that are variously exposing, resisting, and mitigating precarity among flexible labour forces in the arts, the media, cultural industries, and beyond. The discussion of these organizations is informed by interviews with some of their protagonists, by documents produced by the organizations, and/or by media coverage of them. Challenging the assumption that getting by in informal cultural labour markets obliges individual coping strategies, this article reveals scenes from a metropolitan laboratory of precarious labour politics. These initiatives are inklings of a recomposition of labour politics in which flexible workforces in creative industries are important participants. KEYWORDS: labour; precarity; unions; New York City; fashion; arts The Warhol Economy The 2012 edition of New York Fashion Week will inject $865 million into the city’s economy (Campbell 2012). Hundreds of galleries populate Manhattan’s Chelsea district – the geographic core of an art market currently enjoying a boom, or so suggests the $171.4 million profit of New York based art auctioneer Sotheby’s in 2011 (Boroff 2012). -
Introduction to HICCS-53 Minitrack on Crowdsourcing and the Digital Workforce in the Gig Economy
Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2020 Introduction to HICCS-53 Minitrack on Crowdsourcing and the Digital Workforce in the Gig Economy Xuefei (Nancy) Deng Sara Moussaswi Joseph D. Taylor California State University, Carnegie Mellon University California State University, Dominguez Hills [email protected] Sacramento [email protected] [email protected] 1. Introduction the “Digital Workforce and Crowdwork” are the unique benefits and opportunities that it provides to The “gig” economy has been described as both workers and firms engaged in digital activities individuals engaging in contract labor arrangements [1]. Moreover, the digitalization of work is as a supplement or alternative to traditional transforming not just organizations and industries, employment. The rapid growth of digital platforms but potentially the whole labor market [5], calling for that enable the gig-based contract relationships is one updating and developing public policies governing factor contributing to this emerging employment the emerging, global digital work environments and trend [1]. managing the digital workforce. While the use of digital platforms to facilitate work is growing, it’s less clear if the structures or 2. Scope effects of organizational practices differ between workers engaged in digital platforms when compared This minitrack focuses on the spectrum of to traditional organizations. The extant literature has experiences and influences of digital work and digital established that workers finding meaningful work workforce. Research of this minitrack lies at the opportunities and receiving accurate feedback intersections of multiple disciplines, namely regarding work outcomes fosters intrinsic Information Technology, Organization Science, motivations [2], however within digital platforms the Human Resource Management, and Behavioral conditions under which these actions are taken differ Science. -
GLOSSARY of COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TERMS and SELECTED LABOR TOPICS
GLOSSARY of COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TERMS and SELECTED LABOR TOPICS ABEYANCE – The placement of a pending grievance (or motion) by mutual agreement of the parties, outside the specified time limits until a later date when it may be taken up and processed. ACTION - Direct action occurs when any group of union members engage in an action, such as a protest, that directly exposes a problem, or a possible solution to a contractual and/or societal issue. Union members engage in such actions to spotlight an injustice with the goal of correcting it. It further mobilizes the membership to work in concerted fashion for their own good and improvement. ACCRETION – The addition or consolidation of new employees or a new bargaining unit to or with an existing bargaining unit. ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASE - A general wage increase that covers all the members of a bargaining unit, regardless of classification, grade or step level. Such an increase may be in terms of a percentage or dollar amount. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE – An agent of the National Labor Relations Board or the public sector commission appointed to docket, hear, settle and decide unfair labor practice cases nationwide or statewide in the public sector. They also conduct and preside over formal hearings/trials on an unfair labor practice complaint or a representation case. AFL-CIO - The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations is the national federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of fifty-six national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. -
How Cities Can Benefit from America's Fastest Growing Workforce Trend
COMMUNITIES AND THE GIG ECONOMY How cities can benefit from America’s fastest growing workforce trend BY PATRICK TUOHEY, LINDSEY ZEA OWEN PARKER AND SCOTT TUTTLE 4700 W. ROCHELLE AVE., SUITE 141, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA | (702) 546-8736 | BETTER-CITIES.ORG ANNUAL REPORT - 2019/20 M I S S I O N Better Cities Project uncovers ideas that work, promotes realistic solutions and forges partnerships that help people in America’s largest cities live free and happy lives. ANNUAL REPORT - 2019/20 BETTER CITIES PROJECT WHAT DOES A NEW CONTENTS WAY OF WORKING 2 MEAN FOR CITIES? INTRODUCTION he gig economy is big and growing — 4 THE STATE OF THE GIG even if there is not yet an agreed-upon ECONOMY T definition of the term. For cities, this offers the prospect of added tax revenue 5 and economic resilience. But often, legacy METHODOLOGY policies hold back gig workers. Given the organic growth in gig work and its function as a safety net 6 for millions of workers impacted by the pandemic, it’s reasonable to AMERICA’S GIG ECONOMY IS expect gig-work growth will continue and even speed up; cities with a IN A TUG OF WAR ACROSS THE NATION permissive regulatory structure may be more insulated from econom- ic chaos. Key areas for city leaders to focus on include: 7 WORKERS LIKE GIG WORK n THE GAP BETWEEN REGULATION AND TECHNOLOGY CAN HOLD CITI- ZENS BACK AND COST SIGNIFICANT TAX REVENUE. Regulation often lags behind technological innovation and, in the worst circumstanc- 9 es, can threaten to snuff it out. -
Biden Administration Blocks Trump-Era Rule Allowing Gig Workers to Be Classified As Independent Contractors
05.12.21 Biden Administration Blocks Trump-Era Rule Allowing Gig Workers to be Classified as Independent Contractors On Wednesday, May 5th the Biden Administration blocked the Trump-Era Rule that would have made it easier to classify gig workers who work for companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash as independent contractors instead of employees. What is a gig worker you may ask? A gig worker is someone who works a temporary job in the service sector as a freelancer. Gig workers have the freedom to set their hours, work from home, and be their own bosses, consistent with what typically was understood to be the classic independent contractor model. After the Biden Administration’s action, shares of companies that employ gig labor such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash immediately lost stock value. The goal of the Administration is to provide the workers with wage and related protections, such as minimum wage guarantees, along with benefits normally associated not with independent contractors, but with employees, including such perks as sick time, medical benefits, and overtime pay. Interestingly, on February 19, 2021, the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court decided that Uber drivers are workers and are not self-employed. Similar decisions have been rendered throughout the United States on a state-by-state basis. In the United States Supreme Court, no action had been taken to date. In California, in 2015, Uber drivers were found to be employees (O’Connor v Uber Techs, 82 F. Supp. 3d 113) but that case was overturned by Proposition 22 in the November 2020 election. -
Westminsterresearch
WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Socially inherited memory, gender and the public sphere in Poland. Anna Reading School of Media, Arts and Design This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © The Author, 1996. This is a scanned reproduction of the paper copy held by the University of Westminster library. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Users are permitted to download and/or print one copy for non-commercial private study or research. Further distribution and any use of material from within this archive for profit-making enterprises or for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: (http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] SOCIALLY INHERITED MEMORY, GENDER AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN POLAND Anna Reading A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 1996 University of Westminster, London, UK **I have a memory, which is the memory of mother's memory' UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER HARROW IRS CENTRE ABSTRACT More recent theories of the 'revolutions' of 1989 in the societies of Eastern and Central Europe now suggest that the underlying dynamic was continuity rather than disjuncture in terms of social and political relations. Yet such theories fail to explain the nature of and the reasons for this continuity in terms of gender relations in the public sphere. -
Beyond Immigrant Ethnic Politics? Organizational Innovation, Collaboration and Competition in the Los Angeles Immigrant Rights Movement (1980-2015) Gnes, D
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Beyond immigrant ethnic politics? Organizational innovation, collaboration and competition in the Los Angeles immigrant rights movement (1980-2015) Gnes, D. Publication date 2018 Document Version Other version License Other Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Gnes, D. (2018). Beyond immigrant ethnic politics? Organizational innovation, collaboration and competition in the Los Angeles immigrant rights movement (1980-2015). General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:29 Sep 2021 CHAPTER 6.161 BEYOND THE LOS ANGELES MODEL? UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF IMMIGRANT WORKER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH A HYBRID RESOURCE-BASED MODEL Abstract This paper offers a starting point to explain the emergence, consolidation, and fragmentation of the Los Angeles immigrant workers rights movement over the last three decades. -
Programme of Research and Action on the Development of the Labour Market : Developing Support Structure for Workers' Coopera
DOCUMENT PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH AND ACTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LABOUR MARKET Developing support structure for workers' cooperatives COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES This document has been prepared for use within the Commission. It does not necessarily represent the Commission's official position. Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1986 ISBN: 92-825-5888-6 Catalogue number: CB-45-85-381-EN-C Articles and texts appearing in this document may be reproduced freely in whole or in part providing their source is mentioned. Printed in Belgium Commission of the European Communities PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH AND ACTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LABOUR MARKET DeveLoping support structure for workers cooperatives by Trade Union Research Unit Ruskin College Document This document has been prepared for use within the Commission. It does not necessarily represent the Commission's official position. The research on which these reports were based was financed by the Commission of the European Communities as part of its pppgpsrøme of Research and Actions on the Development of the Labour Market . The analysis and conclusions are the responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect any views held within the Commission of the European Communities nor do they commit it to a particular view of the labour market or any other policy matters. "like slave labeur, like serf labour, hired labour is but a transitory and inferior form, destinied to disappear before associated labour plying its toil with a willing hand, a ready mind, and a joyous heart." Marx 1864 "Worker Co-operatives offer a better and higher form of organisation than either private enter• prise or nationalisation" - James Callaghan, M.P. -
Collective Bargaining Agreement Between Rebekah Children's
Collective Bargaining Agreement between Rebekah Children’s Services and SEIU Local 521 Service Employees International Union July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2016 Table of Contents PREAMBLE .................................................................................................................... 1 ARTICLE 1 – RECOGNITION AND SCOPE OF AGREEMENT .................................... 1 Section 1.1 - Recognition and Bargaining Unit ............................................................ 1 Section 1.2 – Positions and/or Job Families Covered .................................................. 1 Section 1.3 – Job Families Covered ........................................................................... 1 Section 1.4 - Agency Merger ....................................................................................... 1 Section 1.5 - Job Descriptions ..................................................................................... 1 ARTICLE 2 – UNION RIGHTS ........................................................................................ 2 Section 2.1 - Union Representatives ........................................................................... 2 Section 2.2 - Access .................................................................................................... 2 Section 2.3 - Negotiating Team ................................................................................... 2 Section 2.4 - Stewards ................................................................................................. 2 Section 2.5 - Right