Dear Friends

My name is Kimberly, and I’ve been working for “gig economy” apps like Caviar and Lyft for almost three years. I’m in the process of starting another business, so working in the gig economy pays my bills while I’m getting it off the ground.

There are some things I really like about working for these apps. Chief among them is that I am the master of my schedule and don’t need permission from a boss or anyone else as to how and when I work.

However, gig economy workers like me are facing some major issues, too. It’s hard to maintain a stable income when the commission structures on our apps change constantly and companies can oversaturate the market at will. Because we’re classified as independent contractors, we don’t have access to the basic rights & benefits that most other workers in our state enjoy – from a minimum wage to health insurance, from workers’ comp and unemployment to retirement. Not only that, but we have to bear all of the costs of doing our work — including additional payroll taxes, gas, wear & tear on our cars, insurance, and more. Many of these costs must be borne regardless of how much or how little we make that month.

Whether you’re a gig worker, an app customer, or simply an ally, click here to get involved with our campaign for gig economy workers.

Recently, another car rear-ended me, and my car ended up being out of commission for five weeks. Since I don’t have any vacation days or PTO and couldn’t access unemployment, I had no income for over a month. The stress of not being able to make my car payment was tremendous. I was worried about the impact of a late payment on my credit score, and even had to beg my landlord to give me more time to pay rent, not knowing if he would say yes or if I’d be out on the street.

If I’d been able to take PTO or even draw a bit of unemployment, I could have at least gotten the rent paid and covered a few basic things. I could have hung in there until I was able to work again, without going into the hole and therefore being even more financially strapped when I was able to get back to work. That’s why it’s important to me that we advocate for benefits for gig workers. We gig workers fall through the cracks in so many ways – whether it’s health, injury, scheduling, or deactivation without investigation – and we all need to get to work and fill in those cracks.

I got involved with Working Washington a few months ago through Facebook. Since then, I’ve been attending gig worker meetings, speaking out about my experiences, and have emerged as a leader in helping drive our agenda to get fair treatment for all gig workers. Dozens of gig workers like me have come together to advocate for inclusion in the benefits most other workers in our state already get, as well as a fair wage for the work we’re doing.

When we’re not willing to make a stand and demand that companies treat their workers better, we’re passively condoning the exploitation of workers. When workers get access to basic rights, benefits, and a fair wage, we are all lifted up. For real, sustainable change to happen, we’ve got to raise the floor — and everybody has to be on board.

That’s where you come in. There are thousands of workers like me out there who need benefits and better pay. Join us:

• Click here if you’re a worker in the gig economy.
• Click here if you use apps like Lyft, Uber, Caviar, TaskRabbit, Handy, Postmates, or any other on-demand gig economy apps.
• Click here if you don’t work on or use these apps, but want to be an ally of gig workers and support our workers’ rights movement.

This is a serious grassroots effort that must succeed, and once we succeed, we’ll be a model for many other states, and even the impetus for a stronger workers’ rights movement across the country. It’s all about a better future. And to make it happen – we need you.

— Kimberly, new gig workers’ rights activist

democraticconservationalliance.com

• Trump worked with outside conservatives to purge the State Department. Documents obtained by Reps. Elijah Cummings and Eliot Engel indicate that the White House and State Department worked together with outside conservatives like Newt Gingrich to drive career civil service officials out of the government. This ideological purge has contributed to our diplomatic corps being drained of the expertise it needs to manage the Trump Threat Level. 

• The Iran Deal is in trouble. Trump’s new Secretary of State choice, Mike Pompeo, is a known war hawk and opponent of diplomacy with Iran. With reports that Trump is itching to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, placing Pompeo at the helm of State could help the administration bring us closer to war with Iran.

• Trump nominated a torturer to lead the CIA. Trump’s pick to head the CIA, Gina Haspel, is a war criminal. She ran the CIA’s “black site” in Thailand, where detainees were secretly held and tortured. She also helped destroy the video evidence. She is unfit to lead the CIA at the best of times, but with Trump in charge she poses even more of a threat.

• End Trump’s illegal war in Yemen: support S.J. Res. 54. This bipartisan resolution is a rare opportunity for Congress to take back its constitutional war making authority, and declare Trump’s war in Yemen unauthorized. The Senate will vote Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. You can review our resource for more information about the situation in Yemen and use our call script to call both your senators

Visit trumpthreatlevel.indivisible.org for a running list of all the ways Trump makes us less safe and our latest foreign policy resources.

This morning, reproductive justice advocates braved the cold and rain outside the U.S. Supreme Court in order to stand up for truth and reproductive freedom as oral arguments began in NIFLA v. Becerra. In this case, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) is trying to defend anti-abortion counseling centers from a California law that makes it harder for them to deceive pregnant people to delay or discourage them from potentially seeking abortions. We’ve weighed in on this case in support of California’s Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency (FACT) Act, because states have every right to protect their residents from fake clinics run by extremists who try to trick people into making high-stakes medical decisions that may not be right for them.

• Read more about the people whose lives have been affected by anti-abortion counseling centers’ deceptive practices.
• Read our amicus brief in NIFLA v. Becerra.

Resistance Must-Do’s

• This Saturday, we’ll be joining the student-led March For Our Lives, a nationwide demonstration in support of common-sense gun reform. Find a March near you.
• Betsy DeVos, who is actively undermining student safety by rolling back civil rights protections for girls and marginalized students facing harassment and violence in school, is the very last person who should lead a school safety commission. Likewise, bringing more guns and police into schools will only make them more dangerous. Tell the White House to abandon its sham “school safety commission.”
• Next Tuesday, we’re taking your messages directly to the Trump-Pence Administration to demand the Department of Health and Human Services put patients first and stop promoting discrimination in health care under the guise of “religious freedom.” Be sure to get your comments in ASAP if you haven’t yet!

Resistance Must-Reads

• Transgender patients shouldn’t have to prove their humanityrepeatedly just to receive basic medical care.
• Anti-Black stereotypes can be deadly for Black youth — especially if the people who believe them are teachers armed with guns.
• Ever wanted expert feedback on how to respond to workplace sexual harassment? Some New York Times readers received exactly that.

We the Resistance is our fight to protect our rights and freedoms and to defend the most vulnerable among us through powerful collective action. Every conversation you have with a loved one about the issues important to you, every call you make to Congress, every rally you attend is a part of that resistance. Join us — sign on to the We The Resistance manifesto.