Legislation would create a medical, dental and retirement fund for gig workers
LANSING, Mich., Sept. 28, 2022 — State Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) introduced a bill on Wednesday to create a benefits fund for gig workers’ medical, dental, and retirement benefits. “Gig workers deserve the same rights, protections and benefits as other workers,” said Rabhi, “as the labor market changes, we need to make sure worker protections evolve too.”
The bill would create a fund, paid for by platforms, which provides benefits to workers regardless of whether they work multiple platforms or change their platform, allowing for more flexibility and efficiency in the new emerging sector. “The large corporations that run these platforms can afford to create stability in their workers’ lives and they can afford to provide basic benefits to the people who make their business model possible,” Rabhi said, “Workers, no matter their sector, industry, or form of employment, deserve basic human rights.”