BossFeed Briefing for August 1, 2022. Last Wednesday, Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin announced an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act, which puts billions towards climate & energy projects, and raises corporate minimum taxes. Last Thursday, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on a national Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Last Saturday was the 57th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing Medicare into law. Tomorrow is Primary Election Day in WA—your ballot must be postmarked or put in a dropbox by 8pm. Tomorrow is also the 98th birthday of the late James Baldwin.
Three things to know this week:
Workers filed a class-action lawsuit against PetSmart, alleging that the company uses debt to trap them in their jobs. Pet groomers are required to repay $5,000 in debt from the company’s mandatory ‘grooming academy’ training program.
Eight workers at two 7-11 stores in Seattle are getting $57,209 as part of an Office of Labor Standards settlement. A City investigation found that the franchise owner committed widespread wage theft and failed to provide any paid sick leave.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to construct The Line — a new 75-mile-long “city” of skyscrapers. The project is expected to cost one trillion dollars, and faces significant construction challenges, including “the curvature of the Earth.”
Two things to ask:
How much are they spending on warehouse worker health? Amazon will pay $3.9 billion to purchase One Medical, a large network of primary care clinics. In a statement, an Amazon executive said health care is “high on the list of experiences that need reinvention.”
But it’s too dangerous for strip clubs to serve alcohol? Ax-throwing businesses in Washington are now allowed to serve alcoholic beverages. One business owner offered assurances that “this can be done in a really safe capacity.”
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
Documents uncovered by The Guardian reveal that Uber pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to academics to produce research painting the company in a positive light. In 2015, for example, amid increasing efforts by European governments to regulate the gig economy, Uber paid $100,000 to French economics professor Augustin Landier, who in turn wrote a report he described to Uber as “actionable for direct PR.” Uber executives wrote internally that the price was steep, but worth it because it reinforced their public narrative that the company provides good-paying jobs for drivers. It’s a tactic Uber has employed close to home, too: in 2020, Uber paid an undisclosed amount to Cornell University researchers for a study arguing that drivers in Seattle make plenty of money, a report which failed to account for all of drivers' expenses & time; the company also funded an entire astroturf organization called Drive Forward.
Read this far? Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!