FTC coverage assertion: Established client safety and competitors ideas apply to gig corporations

Whether or not you’re a gig employee, work at a enterprise that depends on gig employees, or take pleasure in the advantages of their labor, the FTC simply introduced a coverage assertion in regards to the gig economic system that deserves your consideration.

There’s no denying that the gig economic system has grown exponentially. With 16% of Individuals reporting that they earn cash by the gig economic system, a Federal Reserve research estimates that gig work accounts for lots of of billions of {dollars} in financial exercise annually. What’s extra, as famous in a current FTC Employees Report, many gig employees come from communities of coloration.

The FTC Coverage Assertion on Enforcement Associated to Gig Work begins with the basic precept that “American employees deserve honest, trustworthy, and aggressive labor markets.” After outlining quite a few the problems that gig employees could face – together with misleading claims about pay and hours, unfair contract phrases, and anticompetitive wage fixing and coordination between gig economic system corporations – the assertion makes it clear that whereas gig corporations could seem distinctive, established ideas of client safety and competitors nonetheless apply to them. Right here’s one other key takeaway: that precept holds true no matter how corporations select to categorise the individuals who carry out gig work.

The coverage assertion factors to quite a few areas the place the FTC will purpose to forestall hurt to shoppers. You’ll need to learn the doc for particulars, however listed here are three examples: holding corporations accountable for his or her claims and conduct about gig work’s prices and advantages; combating illegal practices and constraints imposed on gig employees; and policing unfair strategies of competitors that hurt gig employees. Because the assertion explains, “Defending these employees from unfair, misleading, and anticompetitive practices is a precedence, and the Federal Commerce Fee will use its full authority to take action.”

Employees harmed by questionable practices can share their expertise with the FTC. If employees imagine their labor rights have been violated, they will name the Nationwide Labor Relations Board at 1-844-762-6572 or file a cost on the NLRB’s web site.