independent contractors

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Your Ride to the Airport on Wednesday Could Get Tricky

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash won't offer rides to or from airports in 10 US cities in protest for fair wages

(Newser) - Looking to catch a flight on Valentine's Day to visit your love? You may not be able to count on catching an Uber or Lyft to the airport, depending on where you live. That's because drivers for the two ride-sharing apps, as well as for food delivery app...

Unions Lose on Uber, Lyft Ruling: 'Our System Is Broken'

California appeals court says ride-hailing services don't have to treat drivers as employees

(Newser) - App-based ride-hailing and delivery companies like Uber and Lyft can continue to treat their California drivers as independent contractors, a state appeals court ruled Monday, allowing the tech giants to bypass other state laws requiring worker protections and benefits. The ruling mostly upholds a voter-approved law, called Proposition 22, that...

Enterprising Student Gets Krispy Kreme's Blessing—and a Bonus

Minnesota's Jayson Gonzalez is now an independent operator

(Newser) - A Minnesota college student won't have to give up his business of selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts after all. The company is feeling a little sweeter toward Jayson Gonzalez—who would drive 270 miles to a Krispy Kreme store in Clive, Iowa, to buy up boxes to sell in his...

Court Backs 'ABC' Test: 'This Could Ruin the Gig Economy'

California's top court makes it harder for companies to have independent contractors

(Newser) - A new ruling from the California Supreme Court might mean big trouble for the business model of companies such as Uber and Lyft. The upshot is that Monday's decision makes it harder for companies to classify employees as independent contractors, reports the Los Angeles Times . "This could ruin...

An Uber Headache? 2 Drivers Awarded Unemployment

Which means the NY Labor Department considers them employees

(Newser) - Uber has been fighting tooth and nail to keep its drivers classified as independent contractors rather than employees, with success . Now, a speed bump in New York: The state's Department of Labor in August and September ruled that two Uber drivers are eligible for unemployment payments, the New York ...

One Part of New Uber Deal: Drivers Can Encourage Tips

But they'll remain independent contractors

(Newser) - It will cost Uber up to $100 million and some significant policy concessions, but the ride-hailing company is forging forward with its thriving business model by keeping its drivers independent contractors—for now, the AP reports. Uber settled major class-action lawsuits in California and Massachusetts that sought employee status and...

'Tens of Billions' Wasted on War Contractors: Report

'Criminal behavior and blatant corruption' a bad combo with 'ill-conceived projects'

(Newser) - The US has misspent “tens of billions of dollars” on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan—at minimum—according to a new report from a bipartisan commission set up to scrutinize the issue. The report bemoaned problems like “ill-conceived projects,” “poor planning and oversight by the US...

US Can't Ignore 'Shadow' Labor Market of Freelancers

Even 'independent workers need a net when they fall'

(Newser) - News that more people are choosing to go freelance in the labor market has Derek Thompson a little worried. The flexibility may be appealing, especially to the younger set, but this "freelance market has grown in the last decade into something like a skyscraper built on string and haystacks:...

Wrestlers Smack Down McMahon Senate Run

WWE offered no health insurance, made sport seedy, scandal-ridden

(Newser) - A raft of former WWE wrestlers hope some well-aimed punches at ex-CEO Linda McMahon will send her Senate campaign to the mat. In addition to not providing health coverage—the wrestlers are independent contractors—they fault McMahon, a Connecticut Republican running for Chris Dodd's seat, for coarsening the spectacle. "...

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