Some call Uber drivers, Airbnb hosts receiving unemployment checks a ‘bailout’ | Hacker News Reader

Some call Uber drivers, Airbnb hosts receiving unemployment checks a ‘bailout’

washingtonpost.com

21 pointspseudolus16 comments

If this happens Uber and Airbnb need to pay unemployment insurance for their non-employees.

That doesn't make any sense given that this applies to all those who are self-employed, not just those getting paid via Uber and Airbnb:

> In crafting their coronavirus aid package, lawmakers in Congress opted against wading into the thorny war over who qualifies as an employee. Instead, lawmakers set up a fund focused on self-employed workers affected by the outbreak yet ineligible to receive traditional unemployment insurance.

Not sure what the situation is but because Clovis is a black swan event Canada has expanded the Employment Insurance to include small business owners, who are normally not eligible.

I believe unless Airbnb host and Uber driver seek on going EI benefit, they shouldn’t need to pay.

I get with Uber drivers.

But why Airbnb hosts? Airbnb is supposed to be supplemental income right?

I agree, anyone doing AirBnB full time isn't an employee, they're a landlord. They should receive relief commensurate to what (if any, not sure on the details) other landlords are receiving, not unemployment.

I think they are the same. Airbnb certainly be a full time job be, just like Uber.

They didn't pay into the insurance fund, so they didn't have 'unemployment insurance', so if they are getting an emergency payment without years of paying into the program, that is by definition a bailout.

Going forward gig workers should have to pay into the program like everyone else, these programs are designed to protect workers and make sure people can survive when times are harder, everyone should pay in when things are good, and everyone should be protected when things are bad. They shouldn't need a bailout (because they should have been protected and part of the system, and therefore entitled to these payments), but I'm glad they weren't left to try to survive on their own.

Obviously, the answer is to stop distinguishing between an employee and a contractor. Arbitrary thresholds have never been good policy.

Both are too extreme.

Employees are huge liabilities for employers and contractors have zero safety net.

What about part time employees. They often don’t have benefits, or much less.

I’m fine with Uber drivers getting unemployment. Just make sure when this storm passes that we also retroactively collect unemployment back taxes. I don’t really care if it’s garnished from the workers or the companies, but somebody has to pay and they’ve got to pay going forward as well.

Honest question - why?

Every other western country protects workers without some accounting detail. Why not us?

Not quite sure what you mean by "accounting detail", but in canada, every paycheque I've ever received has had government-run pension and employment insurance deductions applied.

Every time you collect or pay out money it's just some 'accounting detail'. We should make sure the 'accounting details' are fair to begin with, and we don't let Uber freeload on the system. This situation isn't because of the workers, it's about Uber finding loopholes in the tax system so they can run existing taxi systems (which did pay into the unemployment system) out of business.

What is an AirBNB host exactly? The person who owns or rents out the place? Serious question - if I list my extra bedroom on AirBNB, do I also get a bailout?

I fully support helping people in need, but are we just handing people checks?

Absolutely. The bill may have been bipartisan, but Trump will be hoping its remembered come election time.

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