What’s Going on in the Workforce
“There is good reason to think that power imbalances play a big part in the rich world’s wage stagnation.” Well, yes.
Josh Eidelson talks to Muslim workers who are organizing to get Amazon to respect their right to prayer breaks and other accommodations for Ramadan.
Welcome to China’s first robot bank. As in, a bank staffed by robots (so far, I don’t think they have cash of their own to deposit).
HR managers: AI is coming for (part of) your jobs.
You’ve probably seen that the BLS put out the results of their Contingent Worker Survey last week, triggering many think pieces about the fact that the gig economy isn’t really happening. (I’m a little mystified by that statement, since the release clearly says that they have not yet finished analyzing the data from new questions about app-based work, which won’t be released till the fall.) But here’s a good piece from the Post about it, which manages to quote both an economist AND a gig worker, so they deserve a Pulitzer. And also a helpful piece by Annette Bernhardt from the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Organizing Theory
The Animators’ Guild had female animators’ backs, during a recent #metoo case. Check out this unusual method of dealing with member-on-member sexual harassment, through a union hearing. (h/t for Nadia Hewka for sending this my way)
On a related note—this post, by Freada Kapor, on how VC firms should create harassment reporting policies and anti-discrimination practices—is applicable to many more institutions than just the VC field.
Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability
Honolulu votes to impose caps on ride-sharing surge pricing.
Reputation, reputation, reputation
Future Uber might be using AI to tell your driver that you’re drunk.