Labor Attorney Ryan Hancock Talks to WHYY About Workers’ Rights in Today’s Gig Economy

“Labor Attorney Ryan Hancock Talks to WHYY About Workers’ Rights in Today’s Gig Economy” article + news coverage photo.

Willig, Williams & Davidson labor attorney Ryan A. Hancock recently spoke with WHYY’s PlanPhilly reporter Darryl C. Murphy for a podcast report on the rights of gig economy workers such as Uber drivers. Prompted by a recent high-profile strike by Uber and Lyft drivers in Philadelphia, the report explores the implications of the gig economy and its impact on workers’ rights and employment-based benefits.

Hancock tells Murphy that, while independent contractors have been around for many years, today’s new gig economy has broadened the types of jobs now available, from driving, to babysitting, to food delivery. Making workers independent contractors, rather than employees, shifts risk from the company onto the workers themselves, says Hancock, and oftentimes, it is the taxpayer who shoulders the cost burden in the form of higher taxes for social services.

To listen to the full report, click here.