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Tag: workers

  • Uber Will Treat UK Drivers As ‘Workers’ After Supreme Court Loss

    Uber Will Treat UK Drivers As ‘Workers’ After Supreme Court Loss

    In a world first, Uber will treat its UK drivers as “workers” after losing its case before the UK Supreme Court.

    In February, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers were entitled to more protections than they enjoyed as contractors. “Worker” is a classification unique to the UK, providing more protections than a contractor, but not reaching the status of an employee. Uber has been fighting similar battles in multiple jurisdictions, but the UK case was the company’s first major loss.

    As a result, Uber has agreed to pay some 70,000 UK drivers minimum wage, as well as provide vacation pay and access to a pension plan.

    Writing an op-ed piece for The Evening Standard, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi outlined the company’s policy evolution:

    Our thinking on this issue has evolved over time, and I will be the first to admit that we’ve struggled to identify solutions that work for Uber and for those who earn on our platform.

    Following last month’s UK Supreme Court ruling, we could have continued to dispute drivers’ rights to any of these protections in court. Instead, we have decided to turn the page. Beginning today, Uber drivers in the UK will be treated as workers.

    It remains to be seen if the UK case will serve as a template for other countries and jurisdictions, but Uber’s willingness to make changes certainly will undermine its arguments in future cases.

  • Facebook Pushes $15 Minimum Wage, Other Benefits for Cooks, Janitors, and Security Workers

    Facebook Pushes $15 Minimum Wage, Other Benefits for Cooks, Janitors, and Security Workers

    Wage disparity is a problem everywhere but it might just be more visible in a place like Silicon Valley, where employees at tech companies often make six figures while those who support their very existence make much, much less.

    Facebook has just announced that it has implemented “a new set of standards on benefits for contractors and vendors who support Facebook in the US and do a substantial amount of work with us.”

    The new benefits for Facebook contractors include a $15 minimum wage and a minimum 15 paid days off for holidays, sick time and vacation.

    Also, contractors who don’t already get some sort of paid parental leave will get a $4,000 “new child benefit”.

    “We’ve been working on these changes for some months and had originally planned to announce this last Monday. Effective May 1, we’ve already put these standards in place for some of our largest support teams at our Menlo Park headquarters. We will be working to implement this program with a broader set of vendors within the year. This broader group will include workers who do substantial work for Facebook and who are employed by companies based in the US with more than 25 employees supporting Facebook,” said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

    Facebook didn’t say exactly how many people would be affected by the new policy, but the Wall Street Journal reports that it will cover “food-service, security and janitorial workers, among others, at its U.S. facilities.” Facebook says it wants to expand the program to other contractors in the coming years.

    “Taking these steps is the right thing to do for our business and our community. Women, because they comprise about two-thirds of minimum wage workers nationally, are particularly affected by wage adjustments. Research also shows that providing adequate benefits contributes to a happier and ultimately more productive workforce,” said Sandberg.

    Facebook isn’t the first company to take a step like this. Both Apple and Google have promised to make security staff full-time employees (with benefits), Google improved wages for shuttle bus drivers, and Microsoft gave basic-level benefits to “tens of thousands” of contract workers.

    Image via Facebook Menlo Park

  • $10 Minimum Wage Proposed by Michigan Democrats

    Michigan lawmakers are looking to raise their state’s minimum wage as debate heats up across the country over how the current rate and any changes to it would affect workers.

    The proposed bill looks to set the new minimum wage to $10 an hour, a change that would be gradually enacted over the next three years.

    The bill comes from Democratic representatives, specifically Reps. John Switalksi of Warren and Rashida Tlaib of Detroit. According to them, raising the minimum wage would would give Michigan workers “a chance at a better life.”

    According to the AP, past measures to raise the minimum wage in the state have seen opposition from Republicans, who currently control the legislature.

    The state of Michigan’s minimum wage is currently $7.40 an hour for all employers of 2 or more employees. Michigan workers are given overtime for hours exceeding 40 in a single week.

    The federal minimum wage sits at $7.25 an hour. 22 states have minimum wage laws the same as the federal wage, and 19 states have minimum wages higher than $7.25. 4 states currently have minimum wages that are less than the federal rate and 5 states currently have no minimum wage laws on the books.

    Recently, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said that the minimum wage would currently sit at $22 minimum if it had kept up with worker productivity. President Obama has proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.

  • Foxconn: Workers Are Animals

    Foxconn: Workers Are Animals

    Foxconn thinks their workers are animals. No, really.

    Want China Times is reporting that the chairman of Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn, invited the director of the Taipei Zoo, Chin Shih-chien, to talk about the management of animals. Foxconn, if you remember, is the company that manufactures all those pretty iPads, Xbox 360s and Nintendo Wiis.

    “Hon Hai has a workforce of over one million worldwide and as human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache,” Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou said.

    Gou invited the zoo director to speak at the company’s annual review meeting. He also asked all of the general managers to listen to the lecture. He apparently wanted them to learn how to manage a wide variety of animals and their various quirks.

    While Chin was lecturing, sharing his experiences at the zoo, Gou was attentive and listening carefully. He then asked Chin to put himself in his shoes as chairman which reportedly garnered laughter from the managers.

    Even if the method was unorthodox and demeaning, Want China Times says that Gou was sincere as his company faces a crisis with handling their workers.

    Foxconn has had trouble in the past with worker suicides and worker threats that even reportedly shut down the manufacturing of Xbox 360s during the mass suicide threat last week.

    Want China Times says that China is no longer the cheap labor camp it once was and that companies like Hon Hai and Foxconn will have to work on bettering their work conditions for those workers who won’t take low wages and terrible conditions just to improve their family’s condition.

    With more and more people in the West becoming aware of the sacrifices and conditions that people go through to make shiny new iPads and other gadgets, those changes may come sooner than later.

  • Labor Day Facts: The Infographic

    Tomorrow, we celebrate the American work force. Though times are tough and unemployment continues to play a part in our economic situation, there are plenty of Americans who work hard every day and contribute to the national interest.

    CreditDonkey has created this fun infographic that contains some information about the current American workforce.

    Some interesting takeaways from the stats:

    • There are over three times as many registered nurses as there are social workers.
    • There are about as many casino workers as there are aerospace engineers.
    • 5.9 million people reportedly work from home.
    • The unemployment rate for college grads is less than half the national average at 4.3%.
    • 284,000 people work two full time jobs.  That’s a lot of hours.
    • The average length per commute in America is 25.5 minutes.

    Enjoy your weekend and honor our workforce with fun and relaxation. If you’re still trying to figure out your food situation for tomorrow, check out our Labor Day Food & Drink Twitter guide.

    Infographics: Labor Day
    Courtesy of: CreditDonkey