Fife wrote:Here's the latest dispatch from the Workers' Paradise:
NY Times: California Supreme Court Deals Major Blow To Gig Economy Business Model, Treats Workers As Employees Rather Than Independent Contractors
In a ruling with potentially sweeping consequences for the so-called gig economy, the California Supreme Court on Monday made it much more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees.
The decision could eventually require companies like Uber, many of which are based in California, to follow minimum-wage and overtime laws and to pay workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance and payroll taxes, potentially upending their business models.
Industry executives have estimated that classifying drivers and other gig workers as employees tends to cost 20 to 30 percent more than classifying them as contractors. It also brings benefits that can offset these costs, though, like the ability to control schedules and the manner of work. ...
The gig economy/right to work in California has always struck me as antithetical to the democratic platform. They talk a good game about unions and employee rights, but California has consistently been on the side of the employer. I've been an "independent contractor" for large companies in CA, which was weird, considering I showed up to work at their buildings and literally had to pretend to the public that I worked for them.