The Power of Stock
How owning stock can
change gig workers’ rights
Gig work is great…
The gig economy has created a new way to work.
It offers a steady stream of accessible and on-demand jobs, like rideshare, food delivery and courier services.
It offers a worker an unmatched freedom to juggle and jump between gigs to create a work schedule that suits their life.
...but it needs to be better.
There are aspects of the gig economy that are broken.
Unlivable Wages
A food delivery that pays less than the gas cost to make the trip
Tip Baiting
An enticing tip that mysteriously drops to $0 after the order is completed without any issues
No Health Benefits
No support or financial aid when you have a medical emergency
Unexpected Deactivations
A gig company suspends your account with no warning or explanation
One-Sided Dispute Resolutions
A customer complaint settles without your side of the story
How do we improve
the working conditions
of the gig economy?
Gig companies aren't motivated to handle these problems.
Let’s face it, gig companies are focused on building their business. They are optimizing a system to work for their end-customer, their team, and their profits.
The issues that gig workers deal with, as independent contractors, are too far removed from corporate priorities.
Some argue to make gig workers employees…
This idea pops up again and again:
If gig workers were employees — not independent contractors — it would be easier to make improvements.
For example, labor laws would mandate gig companies to provide minimum conditions, such as better wages, security and benefits.
Gig workers, as employees, can also form a labor union that can further advocate specific issues and work to improve working conditions.
...but being an employee takes away the independence of gig work.
When faced with a new problem, it's easy to lean on old solutions.
The primary appeal of the gig economy — for the companies and workers — is its innovation on how people work.
Enforcing the traditional employer-employee relationship is taking away the unique value of gig work: it is a distinctly different way to work.
Better working conditions shouldn’t mean giving up your independence.
Shareholder Activism
History has shown us there is another way to make change.
When people own stock in a company, they become shareowners. They earn the right to vote, speak, and influence the company's operations. The larger their share in the company, the greater the changes they can influence.
When a large group of people rally together to own stock in a company, they can effectively short the system. They become partial owners who can force fundamental changes in the company they own stock in.
Moves is banking
for change.
Start making real change in the gig economy with Moves.
When you bank with Moves, you'll get free stock rewards* in the gig companies you work with. That means by simply managing your money with us, you're earning stock in gig companies such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash.
Bank
Manage your payouts and expenses with the Moves Spending Account, designed exclusively for gig workers.
Earn
Get free stock rewards* in the gig companies you work with, including 0.25% on every eligible purchase.
Own
As you accumulate more stock, you’ll grow your share in gig companies alongside thousands of gig workers.
Together, we can make
the gig economy work
for its workers.
As Moves makes more and more gig workers shareholders in gig companies, we are building a loud and powerful worker-owned voice of the gig economy.
With these shareholder rights, we can then deploy tactics such as:
Shareholder Resolutions
As shareholders, we can submit proposals to gig platforms that get voted on at upcoming company annual general meetings. Want better gig worker representation on the company's board of directors? Want gig platforms to contribute to a coordinated health benefits plan? Shareholder proposals are a powerful, but often underutilized tool for change.
Proxy Battles
Let’s use our shareholder status to network. We can seek out other shareholders who may align with our proposals and garner support for various resolutions.
Publicity Campaigns
Let’s create a movement! Change can’t come if no one is aware of the problems we a’re setting out to solve. Roadside billboards, events, and social media campaigns are all probable ways to bring attention to these issues.
Negotiation
We aim to make the gig economy work for its workers. To do this, we need to have conversations with all parties involved, including gig companies. These companies have created a lot of value for the world, and to independent workers, but they also need to recognize your value to them.
Petitions
The simple power of numbers can be enough to make change. We can deliver signed petitions to gig companies that protest unfair practices, like withheld tips, excessive payout charges, and unprompted account deactivations.
Lobbying
For so many of the issues gig workers face, there is a regulatory body whose job is to oversee malpractice and identify gaps. As a group, we can surface issues to these organizations and help them help us.
The power of stock is giving a collective voice to gig workers to make real change in the gig economy.
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