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The Covid-19 Pandemic Aggravates Disputes Around Gig Work

Workers want more compensation and better protection against illness from companies that don’t consider them employees.

THE RAPIDLY SPREADING novel coronavirus is supercharging a debate about the treatment of gig workers. The relief bill signed Friday by President Trump will provide a short-term lifeline. But some workers for companies such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Instacart, and Amazon worry the help won’t come soon enough.

Today, many gig workers are considered independent contractors, not entitled to workers’ compensation, health care benefits, or sick pay. Because their employers don’t pay into unemployment insurance, the workers haven’t been able to obtain those benefits either. Many app-based companies have established relief funds to support sick and quarantined drivers, though spokespeople for Uber, Lyft, and Postmates declined to say how much money they have given out, or to how many workers. But many workers say the system incentivizes them to drive when they may be sick, until they are too ill to get behind the wheel or deliver food.

Read the complete article here:https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-pandemic-aggravates-disputes-gig-work/

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