The gig economy has emerged as a defining aspect of the modern workforce, transforming how people work, earn, and engage with employers. Unlike traditional full-time jobs, gig workers benefit from significant flexibility. Digital platforms, such as popular widely used ridesharing services and other platforms like TaskRabbit have played a key role in this shift, making gig work more accessible than ever.
Despite this newfound freedom, many workers have found themselves with limited power to influence a platform’s policies, including those involving compensation, benefits, and other working conditions. As a result, an organized labor movement has been gaining momentum within the gig economy, advocating for unions and the use of collective action to negotiate with employers for better protections and fairer treatment for workers.
Gig workers are frequently classified as independent contractors, which — if properly classified — excludes them from protections under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA); specifically, the right to form unions and engage in collective bargaining. As frustrations among gig workers have increased, they have pushed for the right to collectively bargain under the NLRA and advocated for state laws that grant them this right, despite their classification as independent contractors. With the passage of “Question Three,” Massachusetts is the most recent example of gig workers securing collective bargaining rights despite their classification as...
FactCheck Tom Wark Australia Disaster and Accident Environmental Issue Global Warming Meteorological Disaster Natural Disasters Weather What was claimed Official data shows tropical...