Billionaires and mega-corporations are stealing from all of us. For decades, politicians have promised relief while quietly shifting the tax burden away from the ultra-wealthy and onto working people. The result? Stagnant wages, skyrocketing costs, and a system rigged against everyday Iowans.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the gig economy. Companies like Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon Flex rake in massive profits while calling their full-time workers “independent contractors” to avoid paying fair wages, benefits, and taxes. These companies shift all the costs onto workers while dodging responsibility for even the most basic protections.
I will fight to stop the abuse of gig workers—limiting 1099 exploitation, enforcing minimum wage protections, and ensuring gig workers get the pay and benefits they deserve.
If you work full-time hours for one company, you’re an employee. But gig corporations exploit legal loopholes to keep full-time workers classified as independent contractors, allowing them to dodge taxes, avoid benefits, and shift risks onto workers.
I will limit 1099 contractor classification for any worker who regularly works full-time hours for a single company. If you drive for Uber 40 hours a week, you should have the same rights as any other worker—minimum wage protections, benefits, and legal protections.
Gig workers pay for their own gas, vehicle maintenance, phone data, and equipment while companies pocket the profits. In any other industry, this would be wage theft.
I will set minimum reimbursement standards for all gig workers, requiring companies to cover basic expenses like mileage, maintenance, and work-related costs. If a job requires a car, a bike, or special equipment, the company should be paying for it—not the workers.
Gig companies love to claim their workers make good money—until you factor in expenses. After gas, maintenance, insurance, and downtime, many gig workers earn below minimum wage. These companies get away with it because they misclassify workers and rig their payment models to keep earnings unpredictable.
I will push to prosecute any gig company that pays workers less than the legal minimum wage after expenses. If a company’s pay model results in workers making less than they would in a standard job, that company needs to be held accountable.
If you work full-time, you should have access to healthcare, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. Gig workers get none of these—even though many work as much as or more than traditional employees.
I will push for a portable benefits system that allows gig workers to access health insurance, retirement savings, and paid leave—funded by the companies that profit from their labor.
Gig companies use secretive algorithms to manipulate workers—changing pay structures, cutting rates without notice, and deactivating accounts without explanation. Workers deserve to know how their wages are determined and have protections against unfair treatment.
I will push for transparency laws that require gig companies to disclose how they calculate pay, prevent sudden pay cuts, and ensure fair appeal processes for deactivated accounts.
The gig economy shouldn’t be an excuse to exploit workers. My campaign is about enforcing fairness—ensuring gig workers get the wages, protections, and benefits they deserve.