{"id":2833,"date":"2019-12-02T09:37:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=2833"},"modified":"2019-12-02T09:37:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:37:44","slug":"precarious-work-in-the-gig-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2019\/12\/02\/precarious-work-in-the-gig-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Precarious Work in the Gig Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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A gig economy worker checks the Uber app for an update about the next passenger. Photo by freestocks.org<\/a> via Flickr<\/a>.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Earlier this month, workers at the grocery delivery service Instacart organized a three-day strike<\/a> over changes in the company\u2019s tipping policy. Instacart has also been in the news this year for a controversial policy<\/a> that included delivery tips as part of guaranteed worker pay, which they later said they would change. After the strike, Instacart eliminated a bonus<\/a> for successful deliveries through the app.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Instacart is just one example of worker resistance in the modern gig economy. Company platforms such as Instacart, Uber, and the transcription service rev.com<\/a> ostensibly provide greater flexibility to workers, yet all are facing a wave of worker discontent over employment conditions and compensation. Work is changing, and becoming more \u201cprecarious.\u201d Sociologists identify precarious work as \u201cuncertain, unstable, and insecure.\u201d Additionally, workers have little legal protection and bear much of the risk that employers previously bore.<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n