One of the many issues with with the “gig economy” is that these temporary workers don’t receive the benefits of real employees, depressing their earnings and putting them in a difficult position when it comes to things to health insurance. Today, the food delivery service Caviar is addressing at least one of those fronts, by offering accident insurance to all drivers, so long as they’re actively picking up or delivering an order. All drivers are covered, and there’s no cost to be included.
Uber, Lyft, and other part-time driving platforms offer a degree of insurance, but their insurance is generally meant to protect the driver’s car, or some other party in an accident — not the working driver. Caviar’s insurance stands out by offering a degree of protection to drivers should they be injured. That includes medical expenses, as well as disability pay of 50 percent of a driver’s average weekly earnings. The insurance also offers $100,000 to a driver’s family should they die in an accident on the job.
These benefits don’t address all issues an injured driver might encounter. Disability pay is an important perk, but because Caviar is part-time work — and something drivers might do between other part-time driving work — half of a driver’s average weekly pay likely won’t be anywhere near enough to live off of. But it’s at least a start, and it’s something that other gig employment companies should be encouraged to follow, if not improve upon.
from The Verge - Teches https://ift.tt/2Aamp94
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