One report from the UC-Berkeley Labor Center concluded every dollar invested in California’s childcare system would generate $1.88 just from the sector’s output before even touching the benefits for parents and children. There is, again, every reason to think the finding applies nationwide.

The diffuse nature of gig work makes it hard for workers to take collective action for better wages. But strikes and protests have provided PR benefits and caught the attention of policymakers, says Ken Jacobs.

“[Nelson] putting up the concept of strikes that disrupt production and cause a significant crisis for the political elite,” says Jane McAlevey, the influential labor organizer and author, “is incredibly important.”

Between the emergency of the pandemic and wage increases at the state level, we’ve never been closer to a national $15 minimum wage.

But the big weeks are rare, and if Hunt gets sick, or injured, or takes a mental-health break, he doesn’t get paid at all. He belongs to the 8.5 percent of California workers whom the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center calls the “unincorporated self-employed.”