Uber drivers are getting minimum-wage protection for the very first time (Quartz)

By Alison Griswold

From the article:

New York City voted Tuesday (Dec. 4) to enact a first-of-its-kind pay floor for ride-hail drivers, who as independent contractors are not protected by federal or state minimum-wage laws.

…

It’s notable that New York City and its driver advocacy groups have successfully ushered in what promises to be a material improvement to driver livelihood just as other efforts to do the same—a driver union in Seattle, employment classifications lawsuits in the UK and around the US—remain mired in litigation.

Back in October, a research paper from the Center for Global Development on gig work argued that “the focus should be on improving the working conditions of independent workers… rather than continuing to pretend that regular, formal, contracted employment is the way that people—particularly youth—want (or even should want) to earn a living.”

Read the full article here.