The gig economy is quietly undermining a century of worker protections
&gt; The gig economy is quietly undermining a century of worker protections<p>An <i>economy</i> is an inanimate object; it can&#x27;t #{active_verb} something. This may sound nitpicky, but: language carries meaning; language influences perception; and, in this case, language ascribes blame.<p>Insofar as Ameirica is concerned, the contractors working for gig apps, like Uber or Postmates, have <i>chosen</i> not to exercise their rights to worker protections. Even as contractors, giggers have a legal right to unionize, collectively bargain, and form a cartel to demand better compensation. These people have <i>chosen</i> not to.<p>That&#x27;s not to say organizing is &quot;easy&quot; -- especially when you&#x27;re living paycheck-to-paycheck -- it&#x27;s not. But, to the degree that contractors are upset enough to act, organizing is feasible and achievable.[1] Self-organization is the free-market solution to a person feeling exploited or trampled upon by his boss. No government intervention is required.<p>Given that the right to exercise collective bargaining is a <i>choice</i>, and afaik the majority of giggers do <i>not</i> collectively bargain, the rational conclusion is that these gig contractors aren&#x27;t upset enough about the terms of their gig to take action.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;drivers-united.org&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;drivers-united.org&#x2F;</a>