Bill Would Provide Portable Benefits to Gig Workers — at a Cost to Employers

A bill now in a Senate committee would provide portable benefits, including workers' compensation coverage, under a plan not unlike New York's Black Car Fund or federal Social Security. Senate Bill 943, sponsored by Sen. Troy Singleton, D-Palmyra, would require “gig economy” companies that contract with 50 or more workers, such as the ride-sharing giants Uber and Lyft, to pay a fee for each worker. The fee would go to a nonprofit organization that would provide the benefits for workplace injuries and other insurance. “New technology has yielded a modern economy that...