Man and Stuberman
Kumail Nanjiani’s new Uber-based buddy flick, Stuber, says a lot about woke masculinity, economic precarity, and the death of the old-school "taxi movie." It’s also not very good.
Search Result(s) for: “gig economy”
The Internet’s Invisible Cleanup Crew
A hidden army of tens of thousands of content moderators is at work every day — in often appalling conditions — to make the internet as we know it habitable. We should hold Silicon Valley responsible.
“Now Is a Good Time for Working People to Get Involved in Politics”
Jacobin spoke with Lili Baiman, a democratic socialist running for Columbus, Ohio city council. She wants to support the city’s labor movement and strengthen tenants’ rights. Socialism, for her, “means power and equality.”
A Shit Job for One Is a Shit Job for All
Last week’s passage of a bill in the California state legislature ending the rampant misclassification of workers as independent contractors was a huge win. The bill was animated by the spirit of unions fighting for the entire working class — the exact principle that should animate all unions.
The Student Worker Movement Is Growing
Faced with a hostile NLRB, repressive university policies and a lack of institutional support, student workers across the country are pushing ahead in their campaign to unionize.
At Age 83, Ken Loach Is Still Dangerous
After years in the wilderness, first with Thatcherism, then with New Labour, both the Left and British director Ken Loach are just hitting their prime.
Jess Phillips Is Not the Answer to What’s Wrong in British Politics
Britain's right-wing press has been routinely vicious to so many in the Labour Party in recent years. But they've always had a soft spot for MP Jess Phillips. Perhaps that's because they know her PR-driven politics poses them no threat.
Sick Pay Should Be Enough to Live On
Faced with the threat of coronavirus, Boris Johnson has said statutory sick pay will apply from the first day off work. But the meager payment isn’t enough to live on — and won’t even be made to all workers.
Sanders Is Offering a Science-Based Coronavirus Policy. Trump Wants a Cruise-Ship-Industry Bailout.
Bernie Sanders’s competent, evidence-based approach to the pandemic provides a much-needed contrast to the shambolic public health menace of Donald Trump. We need legislation providing for free COVID-19 tests, mandatory paid sick leave, free health care for COVID-19 patients, and quarantine pay.
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Political
In 2008, they told us not to “politicize” the crash. We ended up with a decade of austerity. The coronavirus crisis will reshape the economy in profound ways — now is the time to make socialist arguments about how to respond.
Anti-Capitalist Politics in the Time of COVID-19
As Marxist geographer David Harvey argues, forty years of neoliberalism has left the public totally exposed and ill prepared to face a public health crisis on the scale of coronavirus.
Comrade Britney Spears, We Salute You
Britney Spears called for a general strike and wealth redistribution in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore we are legally obliged to publish something about it.
Building Picket Lines When We Can’t Stand Together
The wave of strikes demanding better workplace protections shows labor’s impressive resilience faced with the COVID-19 crisis. Social distancing and the rise of homeworking are blocking off many traditional forms of collective action — but also bringing about new ways of pressuring employers.
A Basic Income Is a Lifeline in This Crisis — But Can’t Solve Everything
With millions of people put out of work, analysts across the political spectrum have proclaimed that the time has come for an Unconditional Basic Income. But this safety net won’t be enough unless we take on the biggest problem we face — an economic model based on high rents and high personal debts.
Logistics Firms Have Used the Pandemic to Boost Profits and Make Workers More Precarious
With millions of people ordering basic necessities direct to their homes, the pandemic has massively strengthened big distributors like FedEx and Amazon. But while official discourse celebrates delivery drivers as “heroes,” the logistics firms themselves have used the crisis to undermine workers’ most basic rights.
How Madrid Became the Laboratory for Spanish Thatcherism
Over its 25-year rule in Madrid, the right-wing Partido Popular has given rise to vast webs of corruption, widespread privatizations, and a disastrous mishandling of COVID-19. But its Thatcherite revolution has also forged a new voter base loyal to the ruling party — meaning predictions of imminent collapse are likely premature.
The Rise of Casual Work Puts Us All at Risk
The rise of casual work has multiplied uncertainty, lowered wages, undermined conditions, and handed power to employers.
Uber and Lyft Drivers’ Fight Against Independent Contractor Status Isn’t Going Away
Amid the pandemic, Uber and Lyft drivers are more precarious than ever. Even as the companies dodge court rulings, the battle for drivers to be legally classified as employees is growing.
Voices From the Valley Is a Snapshot of the Tech Industry, as Told By Workers Themselves
A new book capturing the voices of workers in Silicon Valley’s tech industry — from software engineers to cafeteria workers — reminds us that the relentlessness of labor exploitation is just one side of the story. The other is the persistence of worker resistance.
Becoming Labor Secretary Might Not Be the Best Way for Bernie to Aid Workers
As Secretary of Labor, Bernie Sanders could do a lot to empower American workers. But the working class might be better served with Bernie pushing for pro-labor legislation outside the Biden administration rather than inside it.