Gig Workers Rights Across the Country – Recording

It’s no secret that gig workers are underpaid, unprotected, and overworked. The fight over gig workers’ status as employees or independent contractors (and the pay, bargaining, and rights associated with that status) is playing out in courtrooms, legislative sessions, and elections across the country.

So where are we now?

Two years after Prop 22 passed and one year after it was ruled unconstitutional, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are not only paying their drivers well under minimum wage in California (estimated to pay an average of about $6.20 an hour), but they’re openly trying to repeat the Prop 22 model in the rest of the U.S.

A corporate lobbying group called the Coalition for Workforce Innovation has launched a federal-level labor deregulation campaign, and workers are fighting back. From pro-worker legislation advocacy to drivers coops, workers and labor advocates are charting a new course for the gig economy.

On Thursday, November 17th, 12-1pm PT we learned from workers, advocates, and researchers about the future of gig work and what lessons the tech industry can take from this long battle for workers rights.

The webinar was moderated by Samantha Gordon, Chief Programs Officer at TechEquity. Panelists included:

• Laura Padin, Director of Work Structures at the National Employment Law Project

• Cherri Murphy, Former Driver and Organizer at Gig Workers Rising

• Ken Jacobs, Chair of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

This webinar was hosted on Zoom.