Published in The Bold Italic·PinnedAnswers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Prop 22A detailed breakdown of why you should vote ‘no’ — Californians should vote NO on Prop 22, which if passed would exempt app-based transportation and delivery companies like Uber and Lyft from providing employee benefits to certain drivers. These ride-share and delivery tech companies have spent millions on putting forth this proposition in response to California’s AB-5 “gig worker bill”…California Politics9 min read
May 25_I wake up and smile at the sun shining out my window At green leaves hanging off the tree branches Enjoying the moments before a weight drags at my heart Sinking it down as I remember that 19 children were shot at school Just yesterday And two adults who taught…Poetry1 min read
Published in Start.coop·Mar 24How to fundraise for a cooperative startupThis playbook is designed for cooperative entrepreneurs looking to raise their initial funding. It can guide the first one to two years of getting your organization off the ground and is informed by my experience raising capital for The Drivers Cooperative, a worker cooperative in New York State. I need…Cooperatives11 min read
Aug 6, 2021The need for nuanced professional identitiesBanker. Mechanic. Lawyer. Journalist. Doctor. So many people’s careers can be boiled down to a simple word. But so often those words are loaded terms that earn nods of approval or side-eyes of judgement. However, this one-word professional identity hammers against self-worth when you’re a dreamer who is doing work…Jobs2 min read
Jul 2, 2021Picking sides in the pandemic: the Rich or the RestA journalist called me a “class traitor” for leaving Uber to start a worker-owned competitor: Co-op Ride. I’ve had the privilege of being welcomed into the upper-echelons of the elite “meritocracy.” McKinsey & Company. Georgetown. Uber. Stanford. They all let me slip through the pearly gates. But I’m the daughter…Inequality3 min read
Mar 20, 2021Separating art and commerce in entrepreneurshipI was reading Cheryl Strayed’s book Dear Sugar, a compilation of real-talk advice columns. Someone wrote in bemoaning that, despite attending prestigious colleges, she had not landed a six-figure book deal and was unable to feel happy for friends who had. Strayed laid down the facts: “We are not talking…Art3 min read
Aug 19, 2020Opinion: Uber doesn’t care about driversOriginally appeared in The New York Times To the Editor: Trumpeting support for legislation requiring benefits for gig workers, then lobbying to minimize required contributions and the number of workers who qualify, is a public relations tactic to prevent legislation classifying workers as employees. Benefits for gig workers is a…Uber1 min read
Jul 19, 2020Uber’s $25 Billion Dollar BailoutA timeline of how gaps in employment law forced the federal government to spend billions to subsidize the cost of paid leave and unemployment benefits for millions of Uber drivers March 6 Senator Mark Warner of Virginia sends a letter to Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Postmates, Grubhub and DoorDash urging their…Uber7 min read
May 11, 2020Banking while poorWhy do the poor have to pay to bank, but the rich get paid to bank? Banking while poor is expensive. Savings accounts are not linked to a debit card, so if you want to pay in something other than cash, you need a debit or credit card. A…Loans4 min read
May 8, 2020Viewpoint: More than ever, gig workers deserve basic protectionsAppeared in the Albany Times Union: https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Viewpoint-More-than-ever-gig-workers-deserve-15180529.php During the coronavirus crisis, gig workers are quickly becoming everyday heroes. They are collecting essential medicines, delivering much-needed groceries and even taking the ill to hospital. We’re asking them to meet our needs and risk their own health to do it, but what…Gig Economy2 min read