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And it's blatantly obvious why - it lowers cost and transfers liability to people who don't have a clue what those externalized liabilities really are. That’s

And it's blatantly obvious why - it lowers cost and transfers liability to people who don't have a clue what those externalized liabilities really are. That’s one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that it’s serving the previously untapped market for below-minimum-wage work. If this gig work did not exist, some of the workers would find regular minimum wage jobs but many would be left unemployed. Many of the Uber drivers I’ve met are educated immigrants to my country (Canada). They are underemployed because of various barriers put in place to protect the jobs of locals. Usually, the issue is that their credentials aren’t recognized because they were earned in another country. So the question is: what are the gig work companies supposed to do about this? They didn’t make the laws/regulations preventing these workers from getting better jobs. If they went away, these workers might have no other opportunities. If anyone is to blame, it should be the citizens who simultaneously support an increase in immigration and at the same time erect regulatory/professional credential roadblocks preventing those skilled immigrants from working in their field of expertise. Of course, another portion of gig workers are people like my father: semi-retired, not professionally credentialed, and doing gig work part time to make ends meet (his pension is not even close to livable). Taking gig work away from him would put him on the street. Edit: one more thing I’d like to add. Based on reports from my dad, the number of food delivery drivers in our city is increasing so the availability of orders (and hence productive hours of work) is decreasing. At the same time, restaurants all over the city have posted signs advertising the availability of kitchen jobs. If gig work is so undesirable (because it ostensibly pays less than minimum wage), why are there so many vacancies at restaurants (which do pay minimum wage) but none in gig work?

anonymouskimmer 4y ago
> So the question is: what are the gig work companies supposed to do about this? The article isn't asking this question, it's posing answers to another question: "What should society do about gig work companies?" The solutions proposed in this article are: "Respondents strongly felt the creation of co-determination mechanisms would allow workers, and their representatives, to influence platform provider decisions which could instantly improve their working lives. "These policies include elected bodies of worker representatives approving all major platform changes that impact jobs and working conditions. Our findings emphasise the potential for trade union growth in this sector, with majorities being willing to join and even organise such bodies." > If gig work is so undesirable (because it ostensibly pays less than minimum wage), why are there so many vacancies at restaurants (which do pay minimum wage) but none in gig work? Good question.
- chongli 4y ago
  Respondents strongly felt the creation of co-determination mechanisms would allow workers, and their representatives, to influence platform provider decisions which could instantly improve their working lives. Sure, some of these might be really nice. But I think one of the biggest changes we’d see, if gig workers organized well enough, is some system to block new entrants in order to artificially restrict the supply of gig workers. We already have an example of such a system that predates the internet-driven gig economy: taxi medallions. But of course, we all know how that turned out! If gig workers are going to organize, why don’t they just take matters into their own hands and develop their own apps where they control the platform and the algorithms and pay schedules? Why does the rest of society (read: the government) need to get involved? Good question. I’ll give my father’s answer: because gig work is better than regular jobs for people who value their own independence. If you work at a restaurant then you don’t have a choice about when you work, the manager sets your shifts. You also don’t have any control over the nature of the work. If the manager wants you peeling and dicing onions all day, that’s what you’re doing. Gig work (such as food delivery or driving passengers around) does not treat you like that. You set your own hours and you can accept/reject offers at your own discretion. I’ve met several Uber drivers who preferred to work late at night. At a restaurant you can generally only work when it’s open, apart from a few “shoulder hours” for open/close duties. With gig work you can also generally stop working and go home when you want. I mean obviously you need to drop off your passenger/food order first, but after that you’re free to end your shift and go home. Try doing that at a busy restaurant. You’ll get fired instantly if you walk out during peak hours.
  - Jochim 4y ago
    > Sure, some of these might be really nice. But I think one of the biggest changes we’d see, if gig workers organized well enough, is some system to block new entrants in order to artificially restrict the supply of gig workers. We already have an example of such a system that predates the internet-driven gig economy: taxi medallions. But of course, we all know how that turned out! Lets apply the same system to your job then? Anyone can decide that they're now working your job. You can compete with them for tasks and whoever completes them will be the one to get paid. Artificially restricting the supply of your job is obviously limiting the economic capabilities of the business. Just think how many more hours could be worked!

anonymouskimmer 4y ago

> So the question is: what are the gig work companies supposed to do about this? The article isn't asking this question, it's posing answers to another question: "What should society do about gig work companies?" The solutions proposed in this article are: "Respondents strongly felt the creation of co-determination mechanisms would allow workers, and their representatives, to influence platform provider decisions which could instantly improve their working lives. "These policies include elected bodies of worker representatives approving all major platform changes that impact jobs and working conditions. Our findings emphasise the potential for trade union growth in this sector, with majorities being willing to join and even organise such bodies." > If gig work is so undesirable (because it ostensibly pays less than minimum wage), why are there so many vacancies at restaurants (which do pay minimum wage) but none in gig work? Good question.

chongli 4y ago
Respondents strongly felt the creation of co-determination mechanisms would allow workers, and their representatives, to influence platform provider decisions which could instantly improve their working lives. Sure, some of these might be really nice. But I think one of the biggest changes we’d see, if gig workers organized well enough, is some system to block new entrants in order to artificially restrict the supply of gig workers. We already have an example of such a system that predates the internet-driven gig economy: taxi medallions. But of course, we all know how that turned out! If gig workers are going to organize, why don’t they just take matters into their own hands and develop their own apps where they control the platform and the algorithms and pay schedules? Why does the rest of society (read: the government) need to get involved? Good question. I’ll give my father’s answer: because gig work is better than regular jobs for people who value their own independence. If you work at a restaurant then you don’t have a choice about when you work, the manager sets your shifts. You also don’t have any control over the nature of the work. If the manager wants you peeling and dicing onions all day, that’s what you’re doing. Gig work (such as food delivery or driving passengers around) does not treat you like that. You set your own hours and you can accept/reject offers at your own discretion. I’ve met several Uber drivers who preferred to work late at night. At a restaurant you can generally only work when it’s open, apart from a few “shoulder hours” for open/close duties. With gig work you can also generally stop working and go home when you want. I mean obviously you need to drop off your passenger/food order first, but after that you’re free to end your shift and go home. Try doing that at a busy restaurant. You’ll get fired instantly if you walk out during peak hours.
- Jochim 4y ago
  > Sure, some of these might be really nice. But I think one of the biggest changes we’d see, if gig workers organized well enough, is some system to block new entrants in order to artificially restrict the supply of gig workers. We already have an example of such a system that predates the internet-driven gig economy: taxi medallions. But of course, we all know how that turned out! Lets apply the same system to your job then? Anyone can decide that they're now working your job. You can compete with them for tasks and whoever completes them will be the one to get paid. Artificially restricting the supply of your job is obviously limiting the economic capabilities of the business. Just think how many more hours could be worked!