Sign up for our daily briefing

Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Denver news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Des Moines news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Tampa Bay news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Charlotte news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Uber and Lyft start rolling out new benefits to California drivers

Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Uber, Lyft and other gig companies are rolling out guaranteed minimum earnings and injury protection, the first of the new worker benefits that they promised in connection with a ballot measure that ensures they don't have to make their drivers employees.

Why it matters: The companies presented these provisions of the ballot proposition — Prop 22, which California voters passed last month — as a compromise between treating drivers as independent contractors and treating them like employees.

Details:

  • Minimum earnings: Drivers will now earn at least 20% above the minimum wage in the city where they're driving, plus $0.30 per mile for expense.
  • Health insurance stipend: Starting Jan. 1, drivers who work at least 15 hours per week will be eligible for a stipend to help cover the premium on their individually purchased insurance plans.
  • Injury protection: Drivers will now be covered under company-provided injury protection for certain accidents that happen while they're on the job.
  • Customer fees: Uber is adding a fee (ranging from $0.99 to $2.00 on delivery, and $0.30 to $1.50 on rides) and DoorDash is considering increasing its service fees, while Lyft says it's not making changes at this time. Postmates and Instacart did not provide Axios with a response.

Be smart: While this is more than the drivers have gotten before, they're not what employees are entitled to by law, including a range of employment rights beyond financial benefits.

Go deeper: Deep Dive — The gig economy in 2020

Editor's note: The story has been updated with information about the impact on customer fees.

Go deeper

Kia Kokalitcheva
Jan 21, 2021 - Economy & Business

Scoop: Chime's fee income

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Chime, a fast-growing online bank most recently valued at $14.5 billion, derives about 21% of its revenue from fees its customers pay for using out-of-network ATMs, according to financial data obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Banking alternatives like Chime aggressively market themselves to consumers who have been burned too often by bank fees. Chime claims it has "no hidden bank fees," while Varo advertises itself as "online banking with no fees."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Barak Ravid, author of from Tel Aviv
6 mins ago - World

Netanyahu doesn't want a fight with Biden over Iran — yet

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Eric Baradat (AFP), Gali Tibbon (AFP)/Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hoping to avoid an immediate clash with President Biden over Iran, will give dialogue a chance, Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: Biden intends to try to resume the 2015 nuclear deal, which Netanyahu vehemently opposes. The two are on a collision course, and memories are fresh of the crisis in U.S.-Israel relations when Netanyahu was publicly campaigning against Barack Obama's attempts to reach a deal — including in a speech to Congress.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Bryan Walsh, author of Future
40 mins ago - Technology

Doomsday Clock stays at 100 seconds to midnight

Robert Rosner, left, and Suzet McKinney reveal the 2021 setting of the Doomsday Clock. Photo: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists/Thomas Gaulkin

In its annual update on Wednesday morning, scientists announced the Doomsday Clock would be kept at 100 seconds to midnight.

Why it matters: The decision to keep the clock hands steady — tied for the closest it has ever been to midnight in the clock's 74-year history — reflects a picture of progress on climate change and politics undercut by growing threats from infectious disease and disruptive technologies.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow