His knowledge isn’t the product of spending time on crypto Twitter. As sympathetic as many may be, it seems entirely counterproductive at this moment." "Instacart is not rolling in cash that I'm aware of. "It seems to me that organizing a strike is kind of antithetical," Cohen said. "A lot of shoppers have already stopped shopping because of the risks," she said.īut as many Americans avoid leaving their homes, the timing of the demonstration carries risks, said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and a former retail industry executive. Vanessa Bain, one of the strike organizers, said the list of concessions announced by the company was "severely lacking." Even as newly jobless workers sign onto gig work for the first time, she expressed optimism that many Instacart shoppers will take part in the action on Monday. Instacart said as well that it is working with grocery stores on improving conditions for its professional shoppers, such as by providing dedicated entrances. The San Francisco company responded with its own blog post, saying it is increasing bonuses for certain workers and incentives for others. Strike organizers said in a Friday blog post that Instacart is "profiting astronomically off of us literally risking our lives, all while refusing to provide us with effective protection, meaningful pay and meaningful benefits." They listed demands including $5 per order in hazard pay, free hand sanitizer, and an extension and expansion of sick pay that's being offered only to those diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined because of it. "That is one of the aspects of the gig economy, by design." "There's so little barrier to entry," said Ken Jacobs, chair of the UC Berkeley Labor Center. But it's unclear how much leverage workers such as those at Instacart have, especially at a time when so many people have lost their jobs, and are looking for work, as a result of the skid in business unleashed by the pandemic. Gig-worker actions have helped notch some high-profile victories, such as California's still-disputed Assembly Bill 5 that seeks to force companies to convert many independent contractors to employees with benefits. What happens when workers on the front lines of a crisis walk out? Is it bad timing or perfect timing? Will customers respond with support or backlash? ![]() It brings to the fore inherent tensions in the gig economy, in which companies rely on an independent, temporary and low-wage workforce. ![]() The potential worker action comes at a pivotal time for the 8-year-old company, which said this week that it is seeing the busiest time in its history and plans to bring on 300,000 shoppers over the next few months. An early test may come Monday with a planned nationwide strike of workers who lug loaves of bread and pasta sauce (though rarely toilet paper) for Instacart, where online orders are already often backed up for several days. ![]() With such stature comes leverage, at least in the estimation of labor organizers who are speaking up louder than ever. ![]() Some gig workers who have long fought for better pay, working conditions and protections suddenly find themselves considered essential in the coronavirus age - particularly those who deliver groceries and other goods.
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