The gig is up: America's booming economy is built on hollow promises - Robert Reich

[DonViejo]

Contract workers prop up big earners but under Trump’s anti-labor administration are ruthlessly exploited themselves

Sun 2 Jun 2019 01.00 EDT Last modified on Sun 2 Jun 2019 05.12 EDT

Uber just filed its first quarterly report as a publicly traded company. Although it lost $1bn, investors may still do well because the losses appear to be declining.

Uber drivers, on the other hand, aren’t doing well. 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.

It’s similar elsewhere in the new American economy. Last week, the New York Times reported that fewer than half of Google workers are full-time employees. Most are temps and contractors receiving a fraction of the wages and benefits of full-time Googlers, with no job security.

Across America, the fastest-growing category of new jobs is gig work – contract, part-time, temp, self-employed and freelance. And a growing number of people work for staffing firms that find them gig jobs.

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/02/gig-economy-us-trump-uber-california-robert-reich

[riverine]

1. What does Google do with all those gig workers?

I know Apple has tons of home-based contractors who provide iOS support. Apple stores use contractors.


Google? Android is just a framework that is licensed.

[SamKnause]

2. Disgusting.

Why did the government of the U.S. give corporations complete control over this country ???

Corporations have all the rights of people and all the rights of corporations.

Why did anyone think this would benefit 'we the people' ???

[watoos]

4. Government gave control

Because corporations bought politicians.
I admire our Dem candidates who are shunning corporate bribes.

[riverine]

6. The "government of the US" is a democracy

controlled by "we the people" (despite attempts at voter disenfranchisement).

We did it.

[DinahMoeHum]

3. "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work"

- old Russian/Soviet saying

[at140]

5. When I was employed in private sector,

It was a cyclical business. Booms followed by slow periods. So the firm hired lots of temps during boom periods and their hourly rates were significantly higher than regular employees. Which made some sense because it was much less complicated to RIP (reduction in personnel) when the next inevitable slowdown arrived. The higher rates for temps were justified due to no Fringe benefits, no severance pay, and less paper work for the human resources Dept.

[Merlot]

7. While you were employed I was one of the temps

Supposedly making higher hourly rates. Used to piss off regular employees who had no understanding of my lack of medical benefits or even the knowledge of how long a job would last or when the next one would start. I also had to purchase all my computer equiptment. Good luck qualifying for a mortgage. I always paid cash for used cars so that I would not have the monthly car payment. There is absolutly no way to have a budget when your income changes every month.

Being a temp, you're lucky to break even and the temp agencies know how old you are. When I hit 40, the memo went out and I didn't get any more work. They just "didn't have any jobs" today.

So I get the whole "gig" economy, I've been living that way since the 90's. It sucked then, it sucks now. Anyone who tells you differently hasn't done it. And don't get me started on the whole "it's great for extra cash/side job" thing. The expenses and time involved far outweigh any benefits of a little extra cash.

[at140]

8. I understand your point of view

And as a middle level supervisor, I did not begrudge the higher hourly rates of temps.

My own daughter was a temp lawyer and was recently upgraded to permanent at same pay rate. So now she gets 2 weeks paid vacation, 401-k, and other misc benefits. I told her she did in reality got a raise besides having a more steady job.

[Merlot]

9. Somehow, I don't think you do.