gig economy

Chick-fil-A just did something Uber and DoorDash have never done

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Companies like Uber and DoorDash have made life easy for millions of Americans. Yet the lives of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/chick-fil-a-just-did-something-uber-and-doordash-have-never-done

Majority of gig workers say they are done with traditional employment

The last-mile delivery workforce has received a boost in the form of a new survey that found the majority of gig economy workers plan to stay involved for the foreseeable future.

The survey of over 1,000 gig economy workers was released earlier this month. Conducted by YouGov for financial products company Legal & General Group, the study found that 69% of respondents currently working gig economy jobs plan to continue to do so.

For an industry that is increasingly relying on this labor force to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/majority-of-gig-workers-say-they-are-done-with-traditional-employment

IRS tax changes poised to snare gig workers, online sellers

IRS sign outside headquarters

Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act by Congress in 2021 marked one of the top achievements of the Biden administration to date. 

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill provided funding for a number of projects across the country, extended financial relief to those still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and amended a section of the Internal Revenue Service tax code, specifically Section 6050W.

It is that last item, the tax code change, that has the IRS and others scrambling to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/irs-tax-changes-poised-to-snare-gig-workers-online-sellers

‘Stretched to its limits’: Survey finds last-mile driver workforce is pushing boundaries

More packages, more responsibility and a continued push to deliver faster and faster is not deterring drivers from a career in package delivery.

A survey of over 1,200 last-mile delivery drivers in 11 countries by Scandit and released on Tuesday found that while 67% of drivers have changed jobs in the last two years (including 42% in the last year), 88% would recommend their current employers to another driver. This comes even as 50% said staffing shortages have increased in the past five years,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/last-mile-delivery-drivers-being-asked-to-deliver-more-packages

Xpede launches on-demand delivery of keys, cell phones, wallets and more

There’s a new player in the app-based delivery space — but food isn’t on the menu.

Launched this week in six select California counties, Garden Grove-based Xpede is looking to fill a very different niche in the on-demand delivery industry. Rather than working with restaurants or grocery stores, the startup instead offers delivery and pickup of personal belongings (things like wallets, keys and cell phones), packages and even legal documents.

Currently, Xpede’s rapid delivery service is available...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/xpede-launches-on-demand-delivery-of-keys-cell-phones-wallets-and-more

Is gig work killing people? Researchers link poor health to income insecurity

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Many assume the gig economy is a new form of work, but that would be wrong. In 1776, economist Adam...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-gig-work-killing-people-researchers-link-poor-health-to-income-insecurity

DOL independent contractor definition could pose problems for truck fleets

The more than 160-page proposed rule on defining independent contractors now up for comment by the Department of Labor has a few provisions that transportation attorneys believe could be a problem for transportation companies.

While the proposed rule may be hefty in size, it does not include a great deal of specificity. (The words “truck” and “trucking” only appear once each.) This new DOL rule would replace a Trump administration rule still in effect after a court decision reinstated it after...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dol-independent-contractor-definition-could-pose-problems-for-truck-fleets

Instacart to pay $46.5 million to over 300,000 workers in settlement

Instacart storefront

The same day the Biden administration introduced a proposal to reclassify independent contractors as full-time employees, gig workers earned another big victory.

On Tuesday, Instacart settled a lawsuit with the city of San Diego and agreed to pay out $46.5 million to more than 300,000 current and former workers.

Filed in 2019, the suit alleged that the workers were misclassified as independent contractors. That ultimately held weight under the law with the passage of California’s Assembly Bill 5...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/instacart-to-pay-465-million-to-over-300000-workers-in-settlement

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