>> CALLING ALL EARLY RISERS, 9
TO 5ERS AND NIGHT OWLS.
WITH UBER A LITTLE GOES A LONG
WAY.
>> GIG ECONOMY WORKERS LIKE UBER
WANT YOU TO BELIEVE WORKING FOR
THEM WILL BRING IN THE CASH.
A MAN CANNOT LIVE ON SIDE HUSTLE
ALONE.
ONE FOOD DELIVERY DRIVER NAMED
SMITHSON MICHAEL WENT VIRAL FOR
SHARING HIS EXPERIENCE.
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH PEOPLE KNEW
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO DELIVER UBER
EATS, DOORDASH OR THOSE
COMPANIES.
I JUST SPENT AN HOUR DRIVING
AROUND FOR $1.19.
I MEAN, WOULD IT HURT, YALL, TO
TIP US, THROW US $5?
I GOT 1.19 AND $2 FROM THE APP.
WHATS THAT?
THESE ARE ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
I JUST WISH PEOPLE KNEW WHAT IT
WAS LIKE.
I WISH THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT
WAS LIKE TO DRIVE FOR THESE
SERVICES.
>> UBER EATS HAS NOT COMMENTED.
DOROTHY BROWN IS JOINING US AND
AUTHOR OF "THE WHITENESS OF
WEALTH."
AND DOREEN WARREN.
CO-CHAIR OF THE ECONOMIC
SECURITY PROJECT.
THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH.
THIS IS AN ISSUE NEAR AND DEAR
TO MY HEART.
I HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS IN THIS
GIG ECONOMY SPENDING MORE GAS
THAN THEYRE GETTING BACK.
DR. BROWN, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU.
THERES DATA OUT THAT SHOWS 69%
OF THESE FOOD SERVICE DRIVERS
ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR, ARE RACIAL
OR ETHNIC MINORITIES.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ABOUT THE
APPEAL OF THESE APPS AND THE
DESPERATION OF COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR FOR FLEXIBLE OR AFFORDABLE
WORK?
>> IT MEANS IF WE HAD BETTER
OPTIONS WE WOULDNT BE DOING
THIS.
NO ONE WANTS TO DRIVE AROUND FOR
1.19 AND $2 ON AN APP.
THE PEOPLE BENEFITTING ARE THE
SHAREHOLDERS AND CEOs OF THESE
COMPANIES WHO LOBBY TO MAKE SURE
THAT THESE GIG WORKERS ARE NOT
TREATED AS REGULAR EMPLOYEES BUT
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS WHICH
REALLY HURTS THE WORKERS.
>> DORIN, THERE WAS A STUDY LAST
YEAR THAT TALKED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE
INITIALLY GOT UBER AND LYFT, IT
WAS THE IDEA THIS IS GOING TO
DEMOCRATIZE EVERYTHING.
IT COUNTER BALANCES SOME OF THE
RACISM THAT WE SAW WITH TAXI
CABS.
WHAT WERE SEEING IS STUDIES
HAVE SHOWN PRICES ARE ACTUALLY
HIKED WHEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO
MOVE INTO BLACK AND BROWN AREAS
WITH LYFT AND UBER.
I MEAN, ARE THESE SORT OF GIG
ECONOMY JOBS PART OF OUR RACIAL
JUSTICE FIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY, JASON.
IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT RACIAL
JUSTICE LINKED TO ECONOMIC AND
GENDER JUSTICE.
JUST TO GO BACK TO THE
PRINCIPLES.
LISTEN, ALL WORK HAS VALUE AND
ALL WORKING PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS
FULL STOP.
EVERY PERSON WHO WORKS SHOULD
HAVE A LIVING WAGE AND HAVE SAFE
WORKING CONDITIONS.
THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO GET
TOGETHER WITH PEOPLE IN WORKING
CONDITIONS.
WHAT WE KNOW IS THESE COMPANY
CEOs, PARTICULARLY AT UBER,
LYFT, MANY OTHERS, LETS INCLUDE
WALMART AND AMAZON, BY THE WAY,
YOU CANT LET THEM OFF THE HOOK,
THEY ARE BUYING POLITICIANS TO
AID AND ABET THEIR EFFORTS TO
MAKE MORE PROFITS.
IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN
2019 THEY SAID THESE INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS WHO WORK FOR THE GIG
EMPLOYERS SHOULD BE EMPLOYEES.
>> RIGHT.
>> WHAT DID UBER AND LYFT DO?
THEY SPENT $200 MILLION FOR A
BALLOT INITIATIVE TO BASICALLY
TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS.
$200 MILLION.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
WHAT IS BEHIND THAT?
WHO DOES THAT SERVE?
NOT THE WORKERS AND NOT
ESPECIALLY WORKERS OF COLOR.
>> DR. BROWN, I WANT TO ADD TO
THIS.
WHAT WOULD BE SOME OF THE
CHALLENGES?
I GO DOWN THE STREET, EVEN IN
THE MIDDLE OF THIS PANDEMIC, YOU
KNOW, AND YOU SEE THAT CAR THAT
HAS LIKE FOUR STAMPS IN THE
WINDOW OF ALL THE PLACES THEY
WORK FOR, LYFT, UBER EATS, GRUB
HUB, POSTMATES.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STRUCTURAL
CHALLENGES THAT GIG ECONOMY
WORKERS FACE IF THEY EVER TRY TO
UNIONIZE
UNIONIZE?
IS IT JUST BECAUSE THEYRE ALL
TREATED AS INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS AS DORIAN MENTIONED
OR IS IT BECAUSE ITS VERY HARD
FOR THEM TO REALIZE THEY HAVE
COMMON CONCERNS?
>> WELL, ITS COMING UP AGAINST
A WELL-FUNDED COMPANY, RIGHT,
THAT HAVE LOBBYISTS AND WORKERS
DONT HAVE WILL BEYISTS.
WHEN THEY TRY TO FORM UNIONS AS
WEVE SEEN WITH AMAZON, THE
COMPANY ENGAGES IN REALLY SEVERE
ANTILABOR PRACTICES.
SO ITS HARD -- YOU KNOW, ITS A
DAVID AND GOLIATH INSTANCE WHERE
DAVID HAD A BETTER SHOT THAN THE
WORKERS DO.
>> AND SOMETHING I WANT TO ADD
TO THIS.
THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMERCIALS,
IVE SEEN THEM IN D.C. AND
DIFFERENT PLACES, THAT TALK
ABOUT THE FACT THIS ISNT JUST
AFFECTING THE PEOPLE DOING
DELIVERIES BUT OFTENTIMES THESE
GIG ECONOMY JOBS, DELIVERY
SERVICES TAKE A HUGE CHUNK OUT
OF SMALL RESTAURANTS, RIGHT?
CUT INTO THEIR PROFITS.
SO ITS NOT JUST HURTING PEOPLE
ON THE FRONT END, ITS HURTING
PEOPLE ON THE BACK END AS WELL.
I WANT TO PUT UP THIS DATA.
NBC CANT CONFIRM ALL OF THIS
INFORMATION FROM PROPUBLICA BUT
THEY HAVE AN INITIAL REPORT THAT
LARGE NUMBERS OF
MULTI-MILLIONAIRES IN THIS
COUNTRY ARE NOT PAYING TAXES.
NBC NEWS HAS NOT INDEPENDENTLY
VERIFIED THE INFORMATION.
PROPUBLICA IS NOT DES CLOSING
HOW IT ATTAINED THE TAX
INFORMATION.
THEYRE NOT SAYING ANYONE DID
ANYTHING ILLEGAL.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE MAKE THIS
CLEAR.
WHAT ARE YOU ALLS THOUGHTS THAT
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE
COMPANIES, ARE POSSIBLY RED
WINGS WERE NOT SURE, POSSIBLY
PAYING NEGLIGIBLE TAXES.
WELL START WITH DR. BROWN.
>> ITS OBVIOUS WE NEED SYSTEMIC
OVERHAUL OF THE TAX LAWS.
MY BOOK TALKS ABOUT HOW THE TAX
SYSTEM ADVANTAGES RICH WHITE MEN
AND DISADVANTAGES BLACK MEN.
AND ITS NO SURPRISE THAT THE
TOP HIGHEST EARNERS WHO ARE RICH
WHITE MEN, I WILL POINT OUT
PROPUBLICA DIDNT TALK ABOUT THE
RACE ANGLE BUT ITS EVERYWHERE
IN THE STORY, THEY ARE PAYING
VERY LITTLE TAXES IN THE SYSTEM.
THE HE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED BY
RICH WHITE MEN FOR OTHER RICH
WHITE MEN TO PAY LESS IN TAXES.
WHAT A SURPRISE.
>> DORIAN?
>> THERE WAS A STORY THAT SHOWED
ONE OR TWO WORKERS REQUIRE THE
GOVERNMENT TO SURVIVE.
WE SHOULD BE ANGRY THAT WE ARE
SUBSIDIZING THROUGH THE
GOVERNMENT THE LOW WAGE BUSINESS
MODEL, YES, YOU AND I PAY OUR
TAXES.
ALL OF US PAY OUR TAXES BUT
WERE SUPPORTING THE WEALTHY FEW
GETTING RICHER.
THIS HAS RACIAL AND GENDER
DIMENSIONS IN TERMS OF EQUITY.
>> RIGHT.
WHEN I THINK OF THE AVERAGE
DRIVER, MOST OF THESE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN -- ITS ALMOST LIKE
FOR PROFIT COLLEGES.
THEYVE BEEN SUCKERED INTO THE
COMMERCIALS.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET YOUR
HONDA CIVIC OUT THERE.
YOU COULD MAKE ENOUGH TO PUT
YOUR KIDS THROUGH PRIVATE
SCHOOL.
VERY RARELY DO PEOPLE MAKE
ENOUGH MONEY TO GET AHEAD.
VERY QUICKLY.
DORIAN, IF YOU WERE IN A
POSITION OF POWER, IF YOU WERE
BROUGHT IN AS A BUSINESS ETHICS
CONSULTANT AT ONE OF THESE GIG
ECONOMY COMPANIES, UBER OR LYFT,
WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD
TELL THEM TO CHANGE TO MAKE THEM
MORE HUMAN CENTERED OR
EQUITABLE?
>> RESPECT THE FUNDAMENTAL
RIGHTS OF ALL PEOPLE AND WORKERS
FIRST AND FOREMOST.
MANY OF THE GIG WORKERS CANT
EVEN ACCESS BATHROOMS AT THE
RESTAURANTS WHERE THEYRE
PICKING UP DELIVERIES.
SO THERES LIKE A DIGNITY AND
JUSTICE ISSUE HERE.
SECONDLY, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE
RULES OF THE GAME.
THERES THE PRO ACT IN CONGRESS
IN TERMS OF PROVIDING WORKERS
THE RIGHT TO JOIN TOGETHER.
THERE ARE ALL THE TAX POLICY
REFORMS THAT PROFESSOR BROWN HAS
OUTLINED IN HER BOOKS.
THERES THE RANGE OF POLICIES.
BOOSTING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.
THE EXPANDED CHILD TAX CREDIT,
STIMULUS TAX CHECKS.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT ALLOW
PEOPLE TO SURVIVE AND GUESS
WHAT, IT GIVES THEM POWER TO SAY
NO TO BAD JOBS WHICH IN A
COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE
EMPLOYERS SHOULD BE COMPETING
FOR WORKERS AND, THEREFORE,
SHOULD BE RAISING WAGES AND
OFFERING DECENT BENEFITS.