Unit VII Final Research Paper Assignment objective: In this assignment, you will produce your final paper with the addition of the counterargument and conclusion paragraph, your revised introduction
1 The Rights of Gig Workers: A Question of Equality Tyrone Keyes Columbia Southern University October 1, 2024 2 The Rights of Gig Workers: A Question of Equality The gig economy can be defined as the freelance, short-term contracts workforce, on- demand work contracts, and virtual work arrangements, which have slowly become a prominent segment of the global workforce through companies like Uber, Lyft, or TaskRabbit. A major characteristic of the gig work arrangement is the ability for workers to select the specific time and number of hours they wish to work, making this type of job beneficial for those who need flexible hours. However, this flexibility comes at a cost: gig workers do not have job security and are categorized as independent contractors rather than employees, indicating they don’t have such important statutory employment rights as healthcare, minimum wage, unemployment benefits, and paid sick leave (Tan et al., 2021). The essential subject concerning gig subjection is the fact whether the guarantor is a captor or if the workers employed in this sector should be provided with the same rights afforded to employees on standard contracts. The adopters of equality for gig workers give reasons that they avail a significant market share, are exposed to risks, and rely on the gig platforms for their livelihood, and thus are tantamount to unfairness if they are not given benefits. Critics have argued that the kind of regulations proposed would diminish the very nature of gig work and could increase the costs of doing business thereby decreasing employment. This paper argues that gig workers should be offered the same protections and benefits as regular employees since they are also vulnerable to risks and contribute tremendously to the economy besides depending on gig platforms for their earnings. 3 Outline Body Paragraph 1: Economic Contribution of Gig Workers Topic Sentence: Gig workers are essential in propelling economic development in almost all fields, where they contribute to sectors like ride-hailing, logistics, and freelance platforms.Evidence 1: The gig economy generates billions in revenue annually, and companies like Uber and Lyft have become essential components of transportation services in many cities ( Gussek & Wiesche, 2022).
Explanation 1: That makes gig workers very valuable for the economy since they perform services that are so vital for both businesses and consumers.
Evidence 2: While these business models provide significant value to consumers, gig workers are not provided employment status and several legal rights and benefits as regular workers, which can put them at risk during a crisis.
Explanation 2: This can be likened to the mistreatment of gig workers in contrast to regular employees, even though they contribute immensely to the economy.
Body Paragraph 2: Similar Working Conditions and Risks Topic Sentence: Research shows that many gig workers experience physical and financial risks as dangerous as those of ordinary employees; however, gig workers do not enjoy protections under labor laws.
Evidence 1: The studies also reveal that independent or gig economy workers, such as ridesharing and food delivery, are at a higher risk of accidents than employees with conventional employment (Van Doorn, Ferrari & Graham, 2023). 4 Explanation 1: This proves that gig workers are more exposed to risks when they are not protected under the usual employment laws, including the worker's compensation laws.
Evidence 2: Due to long working hours, extra costs such as paid sick leave and health care benefits are areas where gig workers are disadvantaged comparatively than traditional employees.
Explanation 2: If gig workers are injured in workplace risks, they do not receive primary benefits; this shows the imbalance between gig workers and traditional employees. This gap is worrying even more when one thinks of possibly detrimental to their work's physical and mental well-being.
Body Paragraph 3: Economic Dependency on Platforms Topic Sentence: Although gig work is often marketed as a flexible, supplementary income stream, a significant number of gig workers rely on these platforms as their primary source of income, leading to an economic dependency that mirrors traditional employment relationships.
Evidence 1: A recent survey showed that 55% of gig workers rely on platform-based work to earn their living, thus creating a difficulty between the independent contractor and the employee status ( Malik et al., 2021) .
Explanation 1: There is evidence that few gig workers use these platforms as a side or occasional hustle, further supporting the argument that gig workers should be given benefits like full-time employees.
Evidence 2: Current reliance on the gig economy means that gig workers agree to take worse working conditions, lower wages, and unstable and unpredictable working hours without bargaining power, hence, easily 5 exploitable.
Explanation 2: This subordination to platforms makes it evident that gig workers operate under the same paradigms as traditional employees while failing to gain the rights that would ensure they receive fair wages and decent working conditions. Providing them with basic benefits would counteract the chances that they may be exploited or locked out of the labor market altogether.
References Gussek, L., & Wiesche, M. (2022). The gig economy: Workers, work and platform perspective.
Malik, R., Visvizi, A., & Skrzek-Lubasińska, M. (2021). The gig economy: Current issues, the debate, and the new avenues of research. Sustainability , 13 (9), 5023. 6 Tan, Z. M., Aggarwal, N., Cowls, J., Morley, J., Taddeo, M., & Floridi, L. (2021). The ethical debate about the gig economy: A review and critical analysis. Technology in Society , 65 , 101594. Van Doorn, N., Ferrari, F., & Graham, M. (2023). Migration and migrant labour in the gig economy: An intervention. Work, Employment and Society , 37 (4), 1099-1111.
