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"This is the first case in California as to how the gig economy works," US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Corley said during the Thursday hearing, likely the last hearing before the September 5 bench trial, which is expected to last about a week. Most of the hearing was taken up establishing procedural ground rules and wrapping up loose threads about witness availability, among other items.
This lawsuit just might provide an answer. If Grubhub must treat its drivers as employees, the employees would be entitled to all kinds of benefits, including unemployment, insurance, and reimbursement for various expenses, like gas and employee phone bills. In short, treating workers as employees could cost companies like Grubhub millions of dollars.
The case, known as Lawson v. Grubhub, which was first filed back in 2015, is one of a slew of ongoing cases filed against so-called "gig economy" firms. During the Thursday hearing, the judge said that she had only recently understood that, in this context, "gig" simply was slang for "job" or work. She seemingly was under the impression that it was related to the tech prefix "giga."
[...] "This trial is a milestone because similar cases have settled or been dismissed," Michael LeRoy, a labor law professor at the University of Illinois, e-mailed Ars. "When cases settle, the wage-and-hour laws are not applied and interpreted by courts—and therefore, it's hard to say for sure how the law is adapting to the rapid changes in gig work."
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 27 2017, @01:43AM (3 children)
How is this ignorant clown a judge?!
(Score: 2) by http on Sunday August 27 2017, @03:27AM (2 children)
Until extremely recently, "gig" was a term used mainly in a few specific sectors of the entertainment industry and in the long gone whaling industry.
Without looking it up, ask yourself if you would bet the next ten years of your life on if you know the difference between per se and pro se. Then think what percentage of the population might get that one right.
Maybe, just maybe, judges study law instead of modern slang?
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Sunday August 27 2017, @03:32AM
It sounds like the judge did study at least one word of modern slang for this case. And will probably do the same minutes of research for other words as the need arises.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/ [urbandictionary.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 28 2017, @10:47AM
For at least a century a (Frog) Gig has been a small trident on a stick for killing small (typically aquatic) creatures (like frogs).
Everyone knows that. [duckduckgo.com] Stop gigging out you gigger.