This week, Uber settled two major lawsuits challenging its treatment of drivers as independent contractors, rather than actual employees. It got off very, very cheap.

“The sharing economy is here!” we are frequently advised. “We must devise a new labor deal for a new century!” we are warned. So why is making a deal between Airbnb and unions so fucking hard?

In America, we have created a system in which most workers receive necessary benefits like health insurance through their employers. That system is falling apart, and we should all be alarmed.

Instacart, the revolutionary company that invented the business of “delivering groceries,” is damn near “profitable!” Well.. sort of. And working at Instacart is much less profitable than it was before.

With the rise of the “gig economy” has come a debate over who is an employee, and who is truly an “independent contractor.” Do we need to create a new category of worker just for the Uber era?