I get the legal distinction between 1099 and W-2 worker but it’s pretty crazy that it’s allowed to pay someone below minimum wage because of that distinction.

Like, SOMEONE is doing an hour of labor, and it’s allowed that they get paid less than the minimum wage? Is there actually any reason we as a society should be OK with that, or is it just a legal technicality we can’t get rid of without making a bunch of plumbers making $80/hr fill out paperwork ensuring they make more than the minimum?

How does this work with the way these delivery apps work?

Correct me if I’m wrong since I’ve never worked for one of these outfits, but the way I understood it was anytime you want to work you just log into the app and make yourself available, and you randomly get assigned nearby jobs. If there are no jobs to do (middle of the night or w/e), then you get no pay. With this change, when are you eligible for the minimum wage? If everyone in NYC logs into the app at once, will everyone get minimum wage?

How will they prioritize volume? Or can everyone join and make 18/hr all at once?