Month: May 2017

Organizing Theory

Micah Sifry takes a good look at the “Hunger Games” dynamic, in funding new groups that have sprung up as part of the resistance to Trump.

Nice writeup on the Independent Driver Guild’s work to move Uber towards in-app tipping.

h/t to Wyatt Closs for pointing out this story to me—professional videogamers have been conducting wildcat strikes & other forms of labor disruption—so the bosses want them to organize a union.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

A pretty good explanation of why replacing human judgement with an algorithm doesn’t just simply make things more fair.

Interesting project in the EU wants to use anonymized, user-provided data to help cities and private companies build products that make cities better.

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

Could the election of Donald Trump lead to the creation of the first industry-wide tech worker union in India?

Critics of UBI warn that it will lead to a society & entitled people who sit around playing video games all day (as if there’s something wrong with that plan!). Studies show otherwise.

Geeking Out

Walt Mossberg has been a sometimes controversial tech columnist—but this, his final column, is worth reading for an advance look at the tech products and challenges that are headed our way.

What’s Going on in the Workforce

New research from tax software maker Intuit shows that gig economy employment will double in the next four years.

Volvo is working on a self-driving trash truck.

The Perils of Trumpism

The Trump Administration wants to get rid of civil rights protection efforts in a variety of federal agencies.

What’s Going on in the Workforce

“They sent a single artificial flower to her funeral.” Grab a box of tissues before you read this Bloomberg piece about Alabama’s auto parts industry.

“Amazon is externally exposing the tools it uses to set its own prices in order to guarantee that the price listed on Amazon is as low as possible for the customer.” This is a pretty fascinating read, from a retail startup founder, about the way that Amazon is setting itself up for market dominance by basically making a platform out of every possible part of the company.

h/t to my coworker Brad Rothrock, for finding this new site, which is designed to shame companies that aren’t paying their freelancers (as well as educate freelancers about who not to work for).

A Norwegian company says it will have a self-driving electric container ship in use by 2020.

The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute just issued a report outlining the threats from automation to retail workers’ jobs (which make up about 10% of the workforce).

Reputation, reputation, reputation

Did you realize the American Dream? If you did, how much of that was due to your own hard work, versus where you started in life? Take this quiz for a new perspective on it.

Organizing Theory

Count Love is tracking protests during the resistance to Trump…and they have an app that’s designed to let you check in to be counted.

From Partners

Great piece from Gender Avenger on how the Personal Democracy Forum became more diverse in their speaker slots. Rule #1—don’t accept all-male panels.

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

“Shitty jobs for everyone won’t solve any social problems we now face.” Check out what this Rutgers History professor has to say, about why full employment won’t solve our problems.

These documentary filmmakers want to film a basic income experiment for 2 years, and then release the movie in time for the 2020 elections.

Geeking Out

Fun data visualization that shows what time people in some of the biggest sectors of the economy are at work, at home, or somewhere else.

What’s Going on in the Workforce

When you think about automation in the workforce, you probably think about Rust Belt cities. What about…Wilmington? Bloomberg takes a look at where US industries are buying the most robots, and why.

Four worker-owned cleaning service coops have joined forces to launch a new app to allow customers to schedule cleaning, along the lines of Task Rabbit, while creating more equity (cleaners keep much more of the money).

In expanding to Myanmar, Uber has announced they will only work with official taxi drivers—and their unions.

A good look at the various pieces of legislation around portable benefits in different states.

Geeking Out

The 76ers have launched an innovation & vc hub. Cue jump shot jokes here.

Time looks at the amount of income you need to feel happy, in different parts of the country. Not surprisingly, the highest price tags are in the mid-Atlantic and on the West Coast.

From Partners

Really thoughtful piece from friend-o’-the-blog Annette Bernhardt, on ideas for how worker advocates can react to technology, beyond just fighting for basic income.

The AFL-CIO just released a tool-kit for defending immigrant workers.

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

You know we’ve reached peak sharing economy, when its got its own New Yorker profile.

The Freelancers’ Union had a fantastic event in New York yesterday, to celebrate the first day of the Freelance Isn’t Free law, and to announce the launch of their new app, to help freelancers fight wage theft.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

What’s a tech company to do, when they discover hate groups using their service?

Events

In Chicago? Head to the New Economy Coalition’s event tomorrow night.

In NY or North Jersey? Check out the inaugural event of SkepTech next week.

The platform coop crew has announced the dates for this year’s conference.

What’s Going on in the Workforce

A think tank in the UK has just released a report projecting that up to a third of British jobs could be automated in the next 20 years, and proposing reforms to government training programs, to support workers. And the raging debate about where automation is likely to hurt worst just heard from a new front—these folks say they’ve mapped which US cities have the most jobs in industries that are likely to be hard-hit. And Andy Stern asks, “why don’t our current elected officials do something” about the pending (and current) impact of automation on jobs.

h/t to Michael Grabell for this amazing piece on the American poultry industry (online at ProPublica, with a companion piece in this week’s New Yorker, where it is regrettably paywalled).

Organizing Theory

12 Stats on online fundraising & social media that your organization needs to grapple with.

Really good look at how a Kenyan doctors’ union used social media to win over public opinion during a strike.

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti just built a budget that relies on tax revenue from AirBnb—which some locals think undercut their efforts to limit homestays in the city.

A hotel chain is partnering with Instacart & Peapod, to let its customers order grocery delivery to their rooms.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

Should we be afraid of western governments starting to crack down on civil society organizations?

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

Lyft recently announced the opening of a new center for drivers, in Las Vegas (it says this is their sixth, anyone know where the first five are?). Ride-sharing organizers, start your engines!

Project Equity is working to transform businesses owned by retiring baby boomers into worker-owned coops.

“Poverty is not a lack of character. It’s a lack of cash.” Dutch historian claims that Universal Basic Income would only cost the US $175B (or a third of the national defense budget). Defend our people, support UBI?

The City of Portland is subpoenaing Uber’s “playbook,” that the company used to circumnavigate regulations when they were not allowed to operate legally.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

If you haven’t deleted your Uber account yet, it’s now going to be easier to see your rating as a passenger. Uber hopes this means you’ll be nicer to drivers when rating them—but why don’t they just stop kicking people off the app if their rating drops to 4?

I guess the lesson of this story is, if you’re planning to murder your wife, you might want to take her Fitbit off first.

What’s Going on in the Workforce

Lots of us hailed Juno when it launched as a pro-driver ride-sharing platform. Sadly, they just sold out—and sold out their drivers at the same time.

Uber is offering paid sick leave! But only in the UK, where it’s apparently called “sickness cover.” And surprise, surprise—it will cost drivers money.

Instacart just announced a national expansion, including letting customers in some new markets get a year’s worth of access to Instacart Express for free.