Labor
Opinion: Gig Workers Are Employees. Start Treating Them That Way.
The New York Times 1/19
For years, companies and legislators have debated whether so-called gig workers like those who drive cars for Uber or deliver groceries for DoorDash should be entitled to benefits like a minimum wage and unemployment insurance. But in the wake of a California ballot proposition passed in November and a rule just released by the Trump administration, it appears that the erosion of labor protections is advancing aggressively.
Fast Food Workers Go On Strike For $15 Minimum Wage
NPR Illinois 1/18
As many as 1,000 fast-food workers went on strike Friday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Biden is proposing the first minimum wage hike in over a decade as part of his coronavirus relief package.
Food Industry Policy
Here’s what you’re paying for Proposition 22
San Francisco Chronicle 1/19
Gig companies told California voters that rides and deliveries would cost more unless they passed Proposition 22, a measure that keeps drivers and couriers as independent contractors. It did pass, but many gig companies are still charging more in response.
50 Bay Area restaurants, wineries sue Gavin Newsom over outdoor dining ban
San Francisco Chronicle 1/19
In their latest fight against the ban on outdoor dining, more than 50 restaurants, wineries and related businesses in Napa and Sonoma counties filed a lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday. They argue the state’s restrictions on outdoor dining — while allowing other businesses like indoor retail and outdoor gyms to continue operating — violate the California Constitution’s equal protection clause and due process.
90 bars and restaurants ask Whitmer to reopen indoor dining ‘as soon as possible’
The Center Square 1/19
Representatives from approximately 90 bars, restaurants, and other Michigan establishments signed a letter asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to safely reopen dine-in service “as soon as possible” to prevent additional permanent closures. The Facebook post announcing the letter has been shared more than 1,000 times.
On the Side
A Bay Area Creamery Gives Kamala Harris Its Highest Honor: An Ice Cream Flavor
KQED 1/19
With the never-ending news cycle, it can be tricky to remember to savor a moment—or a historical milestone—as it happens. The East Bay’s Koolfi Creamery’s aims to do just that with its new flavor, Kamala Blossom.
Bay Area Eateries Think Outside The Box To Stay Afloat
Patch – San Francisco 1/18
Restaurants across the Bay Area have been forced to get creative in order to stay in business during the coronavirus pandemic.
