Phela Townsend Writes Piece on Why Labor Must Prioritize Gig Workers’ Data Rights
Employers use their proprietary data and technological tools to control the rules and shape narratives that often distort reality and manipulate the public and policymakers.
Next100 policy entrepreneur Phela Townsend wrote a piece for Truthout arguing that the labor movement should include the protection of workers’ data rights as part of its broader fight, and she asks whether California’s Proposition 22, which prevented the classification of app-based drivers as employees under California labor law, would have passed if workers had had access to their workplace data. Phela writes:
“Data is like sunlight on employers’ wider patterns of technology use: without it, workers have little recourse to effectively address workplace concerns or combat violations of labor law.”
Read the full piece, “Gig Workers’ Data Rights Should Be Prioritized in Labor’s Next Fight.”