Fairwork US Ratings 2023: A Crisis of Safety and Fairwork in a Racialised Platform Economy

During this event the Fairwork team introduced the results of their first year of research in the United States (US) – ground zero for the global platform economy. This is the first study of its kind in the US scoring companies on labour standards such as pay, conditions, contracts, management, and representation. The 'Fairwork US Ratings 2023: A Crisis of Safety and Fair Work in a Racialised Platform Economy' report evaluates working conditions on 13 major digital labour platforms in five sectors (domestic work, elderly care, delivery, ride-hailing, and warehousing) across six different states in the country.

Research findings indicate that none of the digital labour platforms assessed are taking adequate measures to guarantee minimum thresholds of decent work to their workers.

The findings of this research offer important lessons for policymakers. First, in the absence of labour law enforcement, very few platforms are making significant efforts to invest in the safety and overall fair working conditions for the essential workers that power their platforms. Second, platform work is not inherently good or bad per se — alternative models exist and must be encouraged. Finally, improving working conditions on platforms is not simply a pressing economic issue but is also a vital issue of racial justice.

During the event, Fairwork Senior Researcher and Project Manager Dr Funda Ustek-Spilda, and the report's lead researchers, Professor Veena Dubal and Dr Mishal Khan, presented the main findings. This wass followed by remarks from worker advocates, egulators, and experts about the present and future of platform work in the US, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

SPEAKERS:
• Dr Funda Ustek-Spilda, Senior Researcher and Project Manager, Fairwork, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
• Professor Veena Dubal, Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine School of Law
• Dr Mishal Khan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Fairwork US, University of California College of Law, San Francisco
• Lorena Gonzalez, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, California Labor Federation
• Marc Beaart, Bureau Director, Office of the District Attorney, Bureau of Fraud & Corruption Prosecutions.
• Nicole Moore, Part-Time Lyft Driver and President, Rideshare Drivers United, Los Angeles Area