The company’s algorithms control every move I make. My fellow drivers and I are fighting back.
gig economy
What’s Working: Denver inflation slows to 7.7%, which is still historically high
Coloradans spent an average of $850 more last month due to inflation, according to one estimate. Plus: CSU researchers say housing prices need to drop 32% for affordability, Starbucks closes unionized store, more!
Colorado will pay federal unemployment benefits until they expire in September
Colorado will continue to pay federal unemployment benefits until the relief expires Sept. 6 even as 21 other states are now saying they’ll end their participation early, state officials said Tuesday. “Colorado will not be ending the federal unemployment benefits earlier than the September end date,” said Jessica Hudgins Smith, press secretary for the Division […]
Opinion: I’ve learned firsthand why Colorado high schools should offer financial literacy education
I was 24 years old, listening to an NPR podcast and driving up the rugged west coast of New Zealand in a campervan, the first time I learned that canceling a credit card hurts your credit. At that point in my adult life, I’d already had three credit cards, canceled one, and thought I was […]
What’s Working: Gig companies want workers back and are paying bonuses in Colorado
To rev up its workforce, Uber pledged this week to spend $250 million to boost incomes of drivers nationwide. While details on how this would roll out were slim, an Uber spokeswoman shared what it means for Denver drivers: $30.56 an hour. That’s the median hourly rate — not including tips! — for drivers who […]
In Colorado’s uneven coronavirus economic recovery, some thrive while others can’t make ends meet
By the time 2020 ended, the U.S. stock market was at an all-time high, Colorado’s housing market experienced double-digit gains, credit scores were on the rise and overall personal income had inched up again, up 0.6% in December from November. The state’s outlook is relatively positive for 2021. Lost jobs are expected to return. The […]
Opinion: An Uber driver says gig workers should not have to compromise flexibility for benefits
The pandemic has created a scary time and has made app-based workers driving and delivering goods an essential service. It also urgently exposed that more can be done to help independent workers — it’s time to extend new protections and benefits. Colorado drivers, like me, would benefit greatly from legislation that would guarantee drivers more […]
Colorado’s unemployment rate improves slightly to 10.2% in May
Colorado’s unemployment rate was 10.2% in May, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said Friday, a slight improvement over the month before as businesses in the state began reopening after a weeks-long coronavirus shutdown. Colorado’s unemployment rate was 12.2% in April, its highest-ever level since the state began tracking unemployment levels in 1976. Initially the […]
Colorado processed 61,000 unemployment claims in four days with upgraded system
Out-of-work Coloradans continued to file for unemployment benefits this week, but unlike last week, the state’s system handled thousands more applicants after implementing technology upgrades and staggering filing periods by last name. Between Monday and Thursday, 61,000 applications came through, according to the state Department of Labor and Employment. The numbers don’t include Friday’s filings. […]