Toronto fintech startup Moves has engaged in a conversation with Uber to elevate the unique challenges faced by multi-app gig workers.
The collaboration comes after Moves submitted a shareholder proposal to Uber that requested the company add an independent director to its Board with direct personal understanding of platform work experience.
The proposal acknowledged the three stakeholders in the gig economy – the company (Uber and stockholders), the consumer (customers), and the worker (drivers), noting that while Uber has given the company and consumers undue priority, the needs of drivers have not been addressed.
Moves is the all-in-one financial app built exclusively for gig workers. Moves’ members across 50 states manage their money better while earning free shares in the companies they work for.
The proposal was withdrawn after Uber agreed to include the topic of multi-app gig worker well-being in its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and to add a formal agenda item at periodic Board meetings dedicated to earner experience. Awareness of the unique challenges faced by those earning income on multiple apps is a key win for millions of gig workers, including the 81% of Moves members who use more than one gig app as a source of income.
“We heard from hundreds of gig workers who use multiple apps a day to earn income about their challenges in the gig economy,” said Matthew Spoke, CEO of Moves.
“From bathroom access to gas prices and dental coverage, there is a long list of problems that need to be understood and addressed by companies like Uber. We believe that empathy for gig workers through first-hand experience was missing at the Board of Directors. This is why we submitted a shareholder proposal to add a director with personal experience earning income in the gig economy and ultimately led to our engagement on multi-app gig worker well-being.”
Many of Moves’ users are Uber shareholders through The Moves Collective, a new service that enables gig workers in the U.S. to earn shares in the enterprises that they power. The Collective enables more shareholders, who can use their rights to advocate for underrepresented gig workers. The Moves Collective now holds more than 4,500 shares in Uber, along with shares in Lyft, Grubhub, Doordash, Target and Amazon.
Moves is headquartered in Toronto, led by CEO Matthew Spoke, and has a team of 35, who aspire each day to improve the gig economy for its workers.
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