Authors: UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment and UCLA Labor Center
Date of publish: May 2018
Why did we select this research?
Because of its high population density, an increased demand for service work, and an emergent desire for more independent working conditions, Los Angeles is an ideal site for on-demand ride-hailing companies. Nevertheless, the increase of TNCs (Transportation Network Companies) and other online labor platforms has prompted concerns about the future of essential employment laws, the quality of available work, and whether an economy that works for everyone is attainable. On top of that, uneven regulation has allowed technology companies to flourish in the gray areas of workers’ rights.
Key findings:
- Despite gig workers in Los Angeles valuing flexibility, they also require a measure of predictability, safety, and income security, protections long available to other workers.
- Technology is neutral and does not inherently mitigate the rights of workers; automation, for example, holds the potential to create new and better jobs. Uneven regulation, however, allows technology companies to flourish in the gray areas of workers’ rights. The role of policymakers must, therefore, be to find a balance.
- Ensure job quality, fair wages, and the health and safety of TNC drivers (provide universal benefits for every worker; give drivers the option to become company employees with benefits; allow TNCs drivers to organize and collectively bargain).
- Encourage fair, accessible, and equitable uses of platform work (support worker-owned platforms; begin to address the forthcoming displacement of workers by technology).
Reference:
UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment UCLA Labor Center and UCLA Labor Studies Minor, More Than a Gig. A Survey of Ride-hailing Drivers in Los Angeles, May 2018. [https://www.my.stibbe.com/mystibbe/attachment_dw.action?attkey=FRbANEucS95NMLRN47z%2BeeOgEFCt8EGQJsWJiCH2WAXWzbmYe%2BzV2nhej%2FX6wwlI&nav=FRbANEucS95NMLRN47z%2BeeOgEFCt8EGQbuwypnpZjc4%3D&attdocparam=pB7HEsg%2FZ312Bk8OIuOIH1c%2BY4beLEAeefvPIMC%2F9vs%3D&fromContentView=1]
