Gig Economy: Databases

The summer of 2023 has been electric for the labor movement. Unofficially dubbed "hot strike summer," workers from janitors to UPS drivers to Hollywood actors have threatened or engaged in work stoppages at rates not seen since the 1980s, with the support of a majority of Americans.

Buried in the midst of high-profile labor negotiations was a major labor victory by less-heralded members of the entertainment industry that will likely impact a large swath of the labor market.

In June, the National Labor Relations Review Board (NLRB), the federal agency charged with protecting the rights of workers to organize, issued a ruling in favor of the makeup artists, hair stylists and wig artists who provide services for the Atlanta Opera. The subsequent rules change could make it easier for millions of American workers to organize, unionize and strike to protect their shared interests. The ruling broadened the conditions a company had to meet to classify a worker as an independent contractor rather than an employee.

Following the recent Supreme Court decision overturning race-conscious admissions, certain sections of the media have adopted an alarmist tone, fueling doomsday predictions. Others are keen to celebrate the end of discriminatory practices that educational institutions have adopted for nearly 60 years.

On the margin, it may very well seem like the end of diverse classrooms. But incentives matter. I do not believe much will change, but I do believe that the actions taken by the high court will be an overall net good for the median student applying to college, regardless of ethnic background.

President Barack Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive memorandum on June 15, 2012 to provide 1.2 million undocumented young people with two-year work permits and temporary relief from deportation. Since this program went into effect, approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants have obtained DACA status, including about 643,000 with it today. The permits are renewable 120 days before the expiration date as long as the DACA program is in place.

Studies have shown that DACA has improved the chances for undocumented people to complete high school, go to college, attend grad school and get higher-paying jobs.

On Sept. 5, 2017, President Donald Trump declared that his administration would phase the DACA program out. Subsequently, several lawsuits were filed challenging DACA's termination. On June 28, 2019 the Supreme Court agreed to consolidate and consider three of these cases.

In this single ruling nearly a year later, a majority of the justices deemed the legal process Trump used in his attempt to end DACA to be "arbitrary and capricious." They ruled that his administration lacked a clear rationale for ending the DACA program.