Recent News
The rise of the gig economy has helped college students across the country pick up extra cash and gain valuable work experience between classes. Allison Rigterink counts herself among them. Rigterink, a senior political science major at Saginaw Valley State University, and an intern at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, picked up gig work in January 2019. She became a courier for Shipt, an app-based company that facilitates front-door delivery […]
The innovations of the last 30 years have transformed the way many of us live and work. Thanks to smartphones and the internet, millions of people, every day, use “transaction platforms” to exchange products and services with individuals in their own communities, or around the world. We sell through Nextdoor, find a driver on Lyft, or rent a house […]
Legislative efforts across the country to restrict freelance and gig work have put the livelihoods of independent contractors in jeopardy. The House has passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, also known as the PRO Act, which would reclassify most independent contractors as full-time employees. It will likely pass a new version of the bill in the next Congress. Several states — including Pennsylvania — are considering legislation similar to California’s AB 5 law, which […]
The U.S. workforce has changed dramatically over the last several decades. Workers from all backgrounds are increasingly choosing the flexibility and freedom of independent contracting over traditional office jobs, especially women. But a new California law is stripping this freedom away from many. Jennifer Oliver O’Connell’s story Jennifer Oliver O’Connell is a California-based screenwriter, reinvention […]
Recent legislative efforts to regulate independent contracting, such as California’s AB 5 law, have made it more difficult for millions of Americans to find and keep flexible work arrangements that better suit their lifestyle and income needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, independent contracting has become indispensable in allowing workers to support their families and make […]
Brian Feulner, a California-based photojournalist, fears his state’s anti-independent contracting law could handcuff him to an employment status he tried — and shed — years ago: a full-time employee. Brian earned his college degree in photojournalism in 2005 and soon put his education and skills to use in California’s newspaper industry. He was employed by […]
Independent contracting has grown significantly over the past several years, up 22 percent from 2001 to 2016. Unfortunately, the increased popularity of these work arrangements has engendered calls from federal and state lawmakers to regulate them. These regulations will hurt millions of American workers who enjoy the flexibility freelance work provides, according to Erica Jedynak, […]
Independent contracting has been a blessing for those who prefer not to work in traditional office environments. The freedom to be their own boss, set their own hours, and work for a variety of employers has been appealing to many, especially women. But a year ago, California legislators passed Assembly Bill 5, officially declaring war […]
Americans for Prosperity’s sister organization, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, filed a public comment October 26 in support of a U.S. Department of Labor proposed rule to clarify criteria for determining the employment status of individuals. Implementing this rule is important for reflecting changes in employment in the 21st century as well as economic changes in […]
