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LawnGuru hints at where Michigan economy’s headed

It sounds improbable, even ludicrous, at least to those in the “old” economy: A start-up lawn care service in Ann Arbor has just gotten venture capital types to invest a cool $1 million. The firm is called LawnGuru, and it offers an on-demand lawn care and snow removal service reached through a smartphone app. The […]

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How Uber punishes drivers who refuse to use UberPool

Uber has adopted a tactic with its drivers that parents use on misbehaving children: timeouts.Uber drivers who turn down ride requests risk having their workday paused as Uber locks them out of its system for up to 15 minutes. Some drivers wait patiently for the timeout to end. Others just call it quits for the […]

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Amazon spends $3.88B on distribution network, up 35% from prior year | TribLIVE

Want to compete with Amazon? Think supply chain customization. But fast delivery — everything from Prime’s two-day service to one-day or one-hour options, grocery delivery and delivery for third party sellers — doesn’t come cheap. In the April-June quarter, for instance, Amazon spent $3.88 billion on its distribution network, or what it calls “fulfillment,” up […]

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Facebook Apartments Won’t Fix Housing—But They’re a Good Start | WIRED

Facebook is getting into real estate. This week, the company proposed building 1,500 apartments near its campus in Menlo Park, California, 15 percent of which it would set aside for low-income families. Urban planners and local developers call it a generous gesture that could bring sorely needed housing to the area. This is another facet […]

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Talks continue on major bills as legislative deadline looms – The Hour

Massachusetts House and Senate leaders said they remained hopeful on Saturday that talks could produce final agreements on several major bills, even as the clock ticked toward a deadline for legislative action. Closed-door negotiations continued on several major bills that had been named as priorities by both the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, […]

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Seattle prepares to offer union reps to Uber, Lyft drivers | KUOW News and Information

The Seattle City Council has voted to offer union representation to drivers for Uber and Lyft. On Wednesday, August 3, they’ll hear from city officials on how that process is going.The ordinance affecting all for-hire drivers is scheduled to take effect in September. TRANSCRIPT Source: Seattle prepares to offer union reps to Uber, Lyft drivers […]

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Porcelane offers on-demand dentistry in patients’ living rooms

[…] this took place in the living room of Jackson’s Noe Valley house, with her 2-year-old son Dylan nearby on the couch watching “Thomas the Tank Engine” videos as she tried out a new service for on-demand dentistry called Porcelane. At a time when people can summon drivers, hair stylists, massage therapists and yoga teachers […]

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This “Uber For Dog Poop” App Is Definitely Fake–Sorry, Sharing Economy Enthusiasts | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

And it appeared in this blog, (click through to see if I was right)… Despite appearances in the Washington Post, The Next Web, The Daily Dot, and several radio and talk shows, the app is actually an “art project” created by Ben Becker and Elliot Glass. Source: This “Uber For Dog Poop” App Is Definitely […]

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The gig economy must be harnessed to address skill shortages and uncertainty – Workplace Insight

The REC has called on policy-makers to ensure that the gig economy is fair to self-employed workers and businesses, and to secure benefits for the UK wider economy. The report claims that this will become increasingly important as the gig economy becomes more mainstream, adding £45 billion to the UK economy and creating work for […]

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Gig Economy Workers: Independent Contractors or Indentured Servants? – LA Progressive

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), workers misclassified as independent contractors can be found in nearly every industry, and the phenomenon has grown considerably with the rise of the gig economy. Uber, the ride-hailing company, has become the poster child for worker misclassification, with numerous lawsuits alleging that Uber wrongly classifies its drivers as […]