5 ms·

The gig is up: America’s booming economy is built on hollow promises

15 points by ciconia 7y ago

polotics 7y ago
This is very similar to a pollution problem: companies abusing and then dumping discarded humans, a most toxic waste indeed.
mdorazio 7y ago
Best quote from the article for me: "At the rate gig work is growing, future generations won’t have a minimum wage, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation for injuries, employer-provided social security, overtime, family and medical leave, disability insurance, or the right to form unions and collectively bargain." When I talk to gig workers about why they're driving for Uber, charging scooters, ghost writing, etc. even when the answer is (increasingly rarely) along the lines of saving for a vacation or paying off debts, I can't help but think to myself, "does anyone remember when American workers could afford a middle class lifestyle and some vacation time every year without having to work a second job?" It just seems like we're moving backwards even while people are touting unemployment numbers and cheap disposable goods as progress.
- trevyn 7y ago
  This feels kind of like saying “future generations won’t have access to horses, slaves, whale oil, or pocket watches”. Jobs as we know them today are going to be obsolete in a few generations.
  - EliRivers 7y ago
    This feels kind of like saying “future generations won’t have access to horses, slaves, whale oil, or pocket watches”. Oh right. Any ideas on what the improved replacements for all these things[0] are going to be? [0] Minimum wage, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation for injuries, employer-provided social security, overtime, family and medical leave, disability insurance, the right to form unions and collectively bargain.
    - trevyn 7y ago
      Human needs are quite easy to satisfy with shelter, food, some basic medicine, and a certain mindset. The costs of all these are asymptotically approaching zero with technology. Why would you want a job or any employment protections if they offer absolutely nothing of value to you?
      - hackeraccount 7y ago
        "certain mindset" would seem to mean the elimination of human desire.
  - marak830 7y ago
    Well that's surely a nice theory. The jobs part not the hyperbole. Me I prefer to have insurance, protection if I get injured at work and the whole host of other things myself and my parents fought for. It's easy to stand up and say you want things differently, until you get older and have a family. Then you realise those pipe dreams of an easy life doing what job appeals to you at the moment are the vapid dreams of the young and lazy.
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    - deleted 7y ago
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RappingBoomer 7y ago
also, the use of zoning, enviro regs, building codes etc to throttle the supply of housing so that homeowners get rich is outrageous...cutting down on living costs by making it easy to build housing, that would go a long way to making america a better place to live...right now what we have is essentially extortion via control of laws in order to squeeze people for rent and medical care
RhysU 7y ago
> According to a recent study, about half of New York’s Uber drivers are supporting families with children, yet 40% depend on Medicaid and another 18% on food stamps. Notice that Uber can lean on contract workers so hard because of the social safety net. In effect, we all subsidize Uber through our taxes.
- ardy42 7y ago
  > Notice that Uber can lean on contract workers so hard because of the social safety net. In effect, we all subsidize Uber through our taxes. If those people are essentially working full time for Uber, the government should bill Uber back for the costs of supporting its workers with the safety net.

15 points by ciconia 7y ago

This is very similar to a pollution problem: companies abusing and then dumping discarded humans, a most toxic waste indeed.

mdorazio 7y ago

Best quote from the article for me: "At the rate gig work is growing, future generations won’t have a minimum wage, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation for injuries, employer-provided social security, overtime, family and medical leave, disability insurance, or the right to form unions and collectively bargain." When I talk to gig workers about why they're driving for Uber, charging scooters, ghost writing, etc. even when the answer is (increasingly rarely) along the lines of saving for a vacation or paying off debts, I can't help but think to myself, "does anyone remember when American workers could afford a middle class lifestyle and some vacation time every year without having to work a second job?" It just seems like we're moving backwards even while people are touting unemployment numbers and cheap disposable goods as progress.

trevyn 7y ago
This feels kind of like saying “future generations won’t have access to horses, slaves, whale oil, or pocket watches”. Jobs as we know them today are going to be obsolete in a few generations.
- EliRivers 7y ago
  This feels kind of like saying “future generations won’t have access to horses, slaves, whale oil, or pocket watches”. Oh right. Any ideas on what the improved replacements for all these things[0] are going to be? [0] Minimum wage, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation for injuries, employer-provided social security, overtime, family and medical leave, disability insurance, the right to form unions and collectively bargain.
  - trevyn 7y ago
    Human needs are quite easy to satisfy with shelter, food, some basic medicine, and a certain mindset. The costs of all these are asymptotically approaching zero with technology. Why would you want a job or any employment protections if they offer absolutely nothing of value to you?
    - hackeraccount 7y ago
      "certain mindset" would seem to mean the elimination of human desire.
- marak830 7y ago
  Well that's surely a nice theory. The jobs part not the hyperbole. Me I prefer to have insurance, protection if I get injured at work and the whole host of other things myself and my parents fought for. It's easy to stand up and say you want things differently, until you get older and have a family. Then you realise those pipe dreams of an easy life doing what job appeals to you at the moment are the vapid dreams of the young and lazy.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]

RappingBoomer 7y ago

also, the use of zoning, enviro regs, building codes etc to throttle the supply of housing so that homeowners get rich is outrageous...cutting down on living costs by making it easy to build housing, that would go a long way to making america a better place to live...right now what we have is essentially extortion via control of laws in order to squeeze people for rent and medical care

RhysU 7y ago

> According to a recent study, about half of New York’s Uber drivers are supporting families with children, yet 40% depend on Medicaid and another 18% on food stamps. Notice that Uber can lean on contract workers so hard because of the social safety net. In effect, we all subsidize Uber through our taxes.

ardy42 7y ago
> Notice that Uber can lean on contract workers so hard because of the social safety net. In effect, we all subsidize Uber through our taxes. If those people are essentially working full time for Uber, the government should bill Uber back for the costs of supporting its workers with the safety net.