What workers are losing in the new gig economy

From rideshare apps to food-delivery services—to ballot measures like California’s proposition 22, which allows companies to treat their employees interchangeable and dispensable—the new economy of the gig and temporary work is proving to be a disaster for workers' rights and long-term stability. This week we talk to two experts about just what is being lost in this transformation.  David Rolf Union leader David Rolf says even Republicans can be persuaded that America will be better off with a strong middle class. But it’s the plutocrats and their hired guns standing in the way. Louis Hyman In his book, labor historian Louis Hyman tells the story of America’s transformation to a temp economy and why he calls it the moral crisis of work in the 21st century. Jim Hightower   America needs a quality childcare system   Nearly every nation with an advanced economy (and some not so advanced) treats child care as a fundamental public good essential to nurturing children, families, and the whole society. But not our US of A.   Indeed, our so-called leaders relegate millions of working parents and 21 million kids under 5 to the tender mercies of a for-profit market, with child care facilities ranging from impossibly expensive to helter-skelter, unlicensed Kiddie Korrals. Bill Press Midterm Madness Begins   With the midterms just seven months away, Bill talks to Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ nonpartisan newsletter on American campaigns and elections. They focus on the primaries coming up in the month of May in the GOP where Trump has endorsed candidates. How these primaries turn out may determine who controls the Senate in 2023. They also discuss the likelihood of the Republicans taking over the House of Representatives. And a little conversation about Biden and Trump in 2024.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.