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Two Uber Drivers win millions of dollars for California gig workers
Being in the northeast last week was a tough time to be a gig worker. Canadian wildfires caused a strange orange haze to hit major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and others.
Being in the Northeast last week was a tough time to be a gig worker. Canadian wildfires caused a strange orange haze to hit major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and others. Meanwhile, gig workers kept on going. Food still got delivered, rides still got completed, and packages still hit people’s front steps.
Kudos to you, gig workers of America.
Let’s check out what’s going on in the gig economy this week.
Top Headlines
This week's top headlines from the Gig Economy
Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke
Gustavo Ajche is a relatively high-profile New York gig worker. He’s the leader of Los Deliveristas Unidos and a member of the Workers Justice Project - both groups advocating for better working conditions for gig workers in New York. Gustavo was one of many gig workers still hitting the roads last week during that wildfire smoke. A bit of silver lining though: he noticed higher tips on those days.
You can follow Gustavo on Twitter here.
Uber is largely controlled by institutional shareholders who own 76% of the company
Digging into public company ownership structures can be a bit boring, but understanding who controls Uber helps us understand how and why their decisions get made. Most notable in this story – which breaks down the groups that own Uber stock – is that gig workers don’t have any substantial ownership in the company. It’s time to change that.
Berry Henson: Part time Uber driver, full time journeyman ready for ride of lifetime at U.S. Open
Any golf fans out there? Well, the U.S. open is on for the next few days, and Berry Henson is a name to watch. Partially because he’s a great golfer, but really because he also moonlights as an Uber driver. Berry still actively drives for Uber. He’s completed over 3,000 rides and maintains a 4.9 star rating. Not a bad way to make a buck after a competitive golf tournament!
Two Uber drivers read the fine print - and won millions for California gig workers
Two friends, both gig workers, were having dinner in L.A. and got to talking about the recent legal changes in California affecting gig work. Through conversation, they realized that someone had forgotten to enforce a specific rule that left gig workers short changed by millions of dollars.
One of these guys, Pablo, took to Twitter to sound the alarm with the State, resulting in drivers getting back pay from companies such as Uber. Hats off to these two gentlemen.
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