Posted on: November 25th, 2021 by Ellen MacEachen
In a contribution to the Toronto Star November 25, 2021, Professor Ellen MacEachen highlights concerns with taxpayer subsidy of digital platform companies – a subsidy, she writes, that creates an unfair competitive advantage for platform companies and does not hold them responsible for providing decent work conditions:
“Ontario’s Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee is about to release its recommendations on leading the future of work in Ontario. But will they address the problem of how we taxpayers keep subsidizing gig courier and ride-hail companies like Uber and SkipTheDishes?
Dr. MacEachen notes gig companies have unfair advantages over other employers:
“Just because they are high tech, why does this excuse digital platforms from obligations carried by other Ontario employers? We have effectively created a subsidy for digital platform companies. We are all picking up the tab for these workers who are classified as nonemployees.
Posted on: November 12th, 2021 by Ellen MacEachen
Please join Dr. Ellen MacEachen at the University of Waterloo Research Talks “The workplace revolution: Envisioning the future of employment” on November 22, 2021 at 11:45 a.m. EST. Registration for this online event can be accessed at: https://uwaterloo.ca/research/research-excellence/research-talks
Dr. MacEachen will be presenting research from a CIHR-funded study conducted with co-Investigators Dr. Samantha Meyer and Dr. Shannon Majowickz. The study investigated the occupational and public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for digital platform couriers.
Posted on: March 22nd, 2020 by Ellen MacEachen
Low-wage workers who need to take time off and self-isolate for illness face economic uncertainty. A recent news article highlights the importance of supporting precarious workers, such as those earning minimum-wage or working in the gig-economy. Financial insecurity may drive these vulnerable workers to continue working even if they feel unwell. Key to reducing transmission of viruses during the Coronavirus pandemic is providing financial security for these workers, so they can stay home when they are sick, says Dr. Ellen MacEachen.
Read the whole article here: “Supporting Vulnerable Workers Key to Slowing COVID-19”
