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from the driving-your-education-forward dept.
Lyft will offer its drivers access to tuition discounts and financial aid, starting with online courses offered by Guild Education:
Lyft is unveiling a new education program for drivers, offering access to discounted GED and college courses online. The move is an interesting experiment in the gig economy, where a growing class of workers receive zero benefits from a boss and yet competition for their time is fierce.
[...] Lyft drivers will receive tuition discounts ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent and, according to the company, the average driver working with Guild to earn a degree can save up to $4,220 per year. Drivers can take English as a second language and GED courses, as well as earn an associates, bachelor's or master's degree online in subjects including IT, nursing, social work, occupational therapy and business.
Lyft would not disclose how much the program will cost the company. According to a Lyft survey of drivers to be published next month, 47 percent do not have a college degree. Gabe Cohen, general manager for Lyft in Denver, says internal surveys show that drivers want to earn degrees. This move serves that goal, as well as the startup's business interests. "It is important that drivers feel loyalty to Lyft," Cohen says.
[...] David Weil, dean at Brandeis University's Heller School of Social Policy and Management, is not impressed. Weil, who was in charge of investigating companies that misclassify workers under the Obama administration, describes the move by Lyft as strategic, but not generous. Lyft and Uber are fighting in courts against claims that drivers are employees entitled to benefits like paid sick leave and health care. "The ride-hailing companies can't erase the fact that their business models are having drivers do all sorts of things an employee would do," Weil says. To offer training is "really nice" but it doesn't mean Lyft should "be rewarded by having the other responsibilities removed," he says.
From Lyft's blog post:
Dallas driver Muhammed Chan learned by speaking with passengers from all walks of life that "there is serious demand for cyber security experts in my city." As part of our pilot program earlier this year, Muhammed received support to access financial aid and scholarships through Guild, and began a cybersecurity program earlier this month.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday December 12 2017, @10:20PM (1 child)
I expect all Lyft employees get stock options; many of them will be rich after its IPO.
The drivers aren't employees and won't get squat after the IPO. Personally I'm puzzled that Lyft and Uber drivers aren't advancing on their corporate headquarters with torches and pitchforks.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Tuesday December 12 2017, @10:29PM
Globalization and automation are continuously devaluing human labor. Unions are weaker than they have ever been. Although the stock market and capitalists are doing well in today's economy, many people are involved in the "gig economy" and are switching from job to job faster than any previous generation. Yet you wonder why a national (or international) diaspora of low-skilled drivers are not descending upon RideHeil Corporate HQ. Maybe it's because it would cost them their livelihood to drive a few states over and protest, when they are like entirely replaceable cogs in a cloud-oiled machine.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]