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Two California Democrats have introduced a bill that would allow rideshare drivers to bargain with gig companies, including Uber and Lyft, for better pay and certain benefits. The measure, Assembly Bill 1340, is likely to face steep opposition from the gig companies that rely on thousands of independent workers to keep their services operating at an accessible price point. “The bill would empower rideshare drivers with the right to organize for better working conditions and establish a process for gig drivers to choose their union,” Californias Service Employees International Union, which is supporting the bill, said in a press release. “It would protect workers from retaliation when they join together to organize and also provide a process for drivers to bargain with the industry for better pay, working conditions, and price transparency for riders.” It added that more than 600,000 drivers in the state would benefit if the bill was signed into law. It’s expected to be heard in Assembly committees in the coming weeks. The measure comes almost five years after California voters passed Proposition 22, which allowed gig companies to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash funded more than $200 million total in support of the bill. The passing ultimately led them to avoid being forced to pay hefty costs for things such as paid time off and insurance. A Lyft spokesperson, when asked for comment on the new bill, reiterated the company’s support for Prop 22. “Drivers overwhelmingly voted for and continue to support Prop. 22 because it is their preferred way to structure benefits and protections,” the spokesperson said. “And for years, we’ve been building upon this framework to roll out new products and features designed to improve the driver experience. This is the best way to balance the needs of drivers without trying to undercut the will of the voters when they originally passed Prop. 22.” An Uber spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fast Company‘s request for comment.
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E-Commerce
The last big breakthrough in aviation when it comes to boarding your flight came in the early 2000s, with the arrival of eTicketing. But a new proposed overhaul of how you get on planes could shake things up in a much larger way. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency that oversees international airline policy, has revealed plans for a digital travel credential (DTC), which will do away with boarding passes and current check-in procedures and instead rely on technology like facial recognition. (Some 193 countries, including the U.S., are members of the ICAO.) A pilot program testing the DTC has been underway in Finland for almost a year, with approval ratings of higher than 90%. Participating passengers look at a camera and place their passport on a reader device. The ICAO overhaul, though, would see passport data securely stored on passenger smartphones. Amsterdams Schiphol Airport, in 2019, also introduced facial recognition technology for boarding on select flights. France and Mexico also use the technology in some instances. Its still unclear whether or when we might ditch boarding passes and physical passports in the U.S. Development of a digital travel credential is something that will be optional for each nation. The U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) did not respond to a Fast Company request for comment about how, when, or if this would be implemented in U.S. airports, though many airports already use facial recognition technology. Boarding: Now versus then The changes proposed by the ICAO would upend the airport experience, however. Today, most passengers must check in with their carrier either online or at the airport, then scan a boarding pass before they enter the plane. It can be a bit slow, especially if you’re running late. Under the new system, passengers would download what’s called a “journey pass” to their phones when they book their flights. This will contain all your booking details and let you move throughout the airport without having to fish out your passport or boarding pass from your pocket. Facial recognition will identify you when you enter the airport and alert the carrier you have arrived. Delta, at its CES keynote in January, hinted at some of these features, showing an imagined travel day for one passenger using the upcoming AI-driven Delta Concierge service, including the use of facial recognition to bypass the check-in process. Hurdles and advances A global rollout of the system is expected to take place over the next two to three years, with full adoption expected by 2028, though it might be later for smaller airports. That timetable might be overly ambitious, however. It would require airports and airlines to radically change their systems. Many airlines silo the various parts of their operations (reservations, for example, are not tied directly with passenger processing at the airport). Transitioning to a DTC system will require airports to make extensive infrastructures upgrades and would require significant investments. Passengers could also have issues with not being able to opt out of facial recognition technology. And facial recognition technology does not have the best track record when it comes to recognizing people of color. The Times, a British daily newspaper, reports the equipment that will be used at airports will only verify information, making sure the passenger’s face matches the passport. Data will not be stored, to lower the chances of a data breach. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates the number of air passengers will double to 8 billion by 2040. The ICAO is attempting to reduce the friction of travel with the new system and is betting DTC can not only increase the accuracy of flight systems, but make those coming crowds easier to navigate.
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E-Commerce
Pop star Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, and Lauren Sánchez, a former journalist who is Jeff Bezoss fiancé, were among six women who traveled aboard Blue Origin’s all-female, celebrity-studded, suborbital space mission on Monday morning. This marks the New Shepard’s 11th crewed trip from Blue Origin, the private space company founded by Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos. Some critics have called it a publicity stunt for space tourism, or even just an ad for the Amazon founder’s company. King herself expressed some concern about that, telling CBS that she has questioned some of Bezos’s “troubling” decisions. Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, has been criticized for his allegiance to President Donald Trump and for his recent decision to overhaul the Washington Post‘s Opinion page, which critics say undermines the newspaper’s editorial independence. Others question whether the 11-minute ride to the “edge of space,” about 62 miles above sea level past the Kármán line, makes the passengers true astronauts, as the flights are suborbital, meaning they don’t achieve full orbital velocity and the distance is limited. The liftoff took place at 9:30 a.m. ET from Blue Origins launch site in Van Horn, Texas. Also aboard: Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist; Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist and the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space; and Kerianne Flynn, a film producer. This marks the New Shepard’s 11th crewed trip to space, and the first all-women crew to enter space since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkovas solo mission in 1963. Women make up only about 15% of all those who have traveled to space. However, despite that effort toward equality, critics have argued space tourism has become a playground for billionaires like Bezosand rivals Richard Branson, who owns Virgin Galactic, and Elon Musk, who owns SpaceXthat only the ultra-wealthy can afford. And as the New York Times reported, “If the flight proves anything, it is that women are now free to enjoy capitalisms most decadent spoils alongside the worlds wealthiest men.” It’s also worth noting that critics say space tourism clearly isn’t viable for most of us. While Blue Origin did not publicly release the price of tickets for Monday’s flights, Virgin Galactic has advertised ticket sales for between $250,000 and $450,000, according to CNN. (A Blue Origin spokesman told the news network some passengers flew free of charge.) Fast Company has reached out to Blue Origin for comment on the criticism around space tourism. This isn’t the first time Blue Origin has flown a celebrity to the edge of space: Since 2021, 52 people have boarded its space flights, including Star Trek actor William Shatner. Meanwhile, Blue Origin has also sued SpaceX over billions of dollars in government funding, as some have argued that SpaceX founder Musk is trying to create a monopoly in the private space industry.
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E-Commerce
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