2.6.18
Suggested lead: The trend from lifelong careers to
lots and lots of short-term jobs is concerning to some lawmakers, and there's a
push on in Olympia for careful study.
Dan Frizzell has more.
Wrap (:70 total): Being a part of the Gig Economy can sound
sort of exciting. Lots of variety, none of that nine-to-five grind . . . but the
decidedly unromantic downside for many of these workers is no insurance, no
benefits, and no economic security.
Lawmakers are concerned about what seems to be a growing tendency for some
employers to call their workers contractors – parts of that Gig Economy – rather
than employees. Representative
Monica Stonier wants to know more, and is advocating for a statewide study of
what the changing jobscape will mean for the overall economy, for a straining
safety net, and for individuals and families living from one part-time paycheck
to the next.
STONIER:
“If you’re not making a living wage then that’s a problem, right? If you’re
working 50, 60 hours a week and you don’t have benefits, that’s a problem in my
opinion. The federal government is destabilizing our healthcare market, and so
people are struggling to have medical coverage . . . that’s a problem in
Washington state.”
Stonier, a Democrat from Vancouver, says getting an
accurate picture of the problem is the first step in finding a solution, and she
hopes to work funding for the study into the supplemental state budget being
written now in Olympia. At the state
Capitol, I’m Dan Frizzell.