'Should Online Platforms Have Unions?' by ljin18 lijin platformeconomy
These efforts tend to be more bottom-up and diffuse than historical labor unions. Workers find and team up with each other in a peer-to-peer fashion; voice opposition on social media, through online forums, and to the media; undermine or challenge a platform’s normal operations; leverage the power of their audience or customers; and at times, leave platforms altogether for more worker-friendly alternatives.
Though individual actions have achieved moderate success, DCA has largely struggled to have a sustained impact. Because platform workers often are not in direct contact with each other, it is hard for them to coordinate, and platforms can induce a competitive dynamic among them. Moreover, platform workers typically have little leverage because of low barriers to entry and an excess of willing participants on the supply side. These issues heighten the necessity for a more refined approach from workers, and a more sustainable path forward. This essay outlines the strategies that platform workers are utilizing to voice their concerns through DCA today, and lays out a roadmap for how to achieve outcomes that better serve the interests of all stakeholders: participants, platforms, and end users.The world of platform labor is in principle a net good: Platform marketplaces can substantially improve social welfare byThis leads to new forms of labor activity, expanding workers’ options. Those whose niche interests and skills would have made it challenging to make a living from local customers can now turn to a global marketplace. Someone whose main skill is woodworking, for example, can grow a worldwide audience of fans through YouTube and then sell their creations on Etsy. But that doesn’t mean platform workers don’t have grievances — or that the contract between platforms and their workers can’t be improved. Platform workers’ liminal status makes them much more vulnerable to exploitation. In the United States, most gig workers and creators are classified as “,” a categorization the IRS defines as “people who offer their services to the general public” in an independent trade, business, or profession. In practical terms, this classification absolves firms from having to provide these workers with benefits, protections, and guarantees that traditional employees enjoy — even as platform workers and creators are dependent on platforms to reach audiences, connect with potential customers, and earn income. In an ideal world, long-term platform sustainability would supersede short-term profit incentives, motivating platforms to align with workers to help them grow their businesses and — eventually — obtain a
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