TGIF, am I right? Welcome back to Human Capital, where we explore some of the latest in jobs, diversity and inclusion in technology.
This week, we're looking at the use of "master / slave" terminology in computer programming and the current state of gig workers in California.
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GitHub to end master / slave terminology
This is probably not new to developers, but it was new to me when I discovered that many tech companies still use the slave-master language. Now, Microsoft-owned GitHub is preparing to remove these references to slavery by naming the primary code repositories "main" instead of "master". These changes will take effect on October 1st.
GitHub talked about making these changes as early as June, when CEO Nat Friedman tweeted which was something the company was already working on. But GitHub is by no means the first company to consider and make these changes. In 2014 , the Drupal open source platform has been moved to replace "master / slave" with "primary / replica".
One of the reasons he made the change was: "The word" slave "has negative connotations (although this may or may not be relevant in the naming of a technical term), including the centuries-old history of slavery for the benefit of European colonial powers , prison laborers today forced to work in conditions sometimes similar to that of slavery, young girls sold as sex slaves in many parts of the world today ".
Then, in 2018, the Python programming language has abandoned racist terminology . Meantime, Twitter began taking steps to replace these terms earlier this year and hopes to complete the replacement of this terminology by the end of 2021, according to CNET .
What's strange is that these terms never existed in the first place and are only being addressed now. As Los Angeles city officials back in 2003 were asking for it manufacturers and suppliers to stop using terminology, they have not required it.
So maybe it's no wonder why some tech companies struggle to keep black employees. In 2019, for example, Google reported that its Black and Latinx talent dropout rates - which indicate employee departure rates on an annual basis - were above the national average. When racism is integrated into the technical structure of a company, it perpetuates the false idea that whites are superior to blacks.
Gig Work
The latest in the battle between Prop 22 and AB 5
Two big things are happening regarding gig workers: Prop 22, the California bill backed by Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash that seeks to keep workers classified as independent contractors and lawsuits rooted in AB 5, the California law It took effect earlier this year which defines how to properly classify gig workers.
Let's start with proposal 22. A new poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies has found that they will be close elections. In a poll of 5,900 likely voters, the UC Berkeley IGS found that 39% of voters would vote yes on Prop 22 while 36% said they would vote no. The other 25% are undecided.
As we mentioned last week, the Yes on 22 campaign invested around $ 180 million in the campaign, while the No on 22 part put in around $ 4.6 million. Meanwhile, we're seeing ads for Yes out of 22 within apps on demand.
On side AB 5, Uber and Lyft are still in court after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco city attorneys, sued the companies, claiming they misclassify their workers. In the court of appeal, which granted a suspension of the preliminary injunction that would force Uber and Lyft to immediately reclassify their drivers, some amicus pleadings were filed.
In a note filed by the National Employment Law Group, the ACLU and other civil rights groups, they say Uber and Lyft harm black workers by classifying them as independent contractors.
Many poor workers of color and immigrants are stuck in a separate and unequal economy where they are underpaid, endangered at work and left to fend for themselves with no access to paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, workers' benefits and other protections. By insisting that their drivers are not employees, Lyft and Uber further distance black workers from basic workplace rights that provide real flexibility and economic security. Instead, their business models trap poor workers in intractable cycles of poverty and economic exclusion.
In case Uber and Lyft were forced to reclassify their drivers, both Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft CEO Logan Green filed affidavits earlier this month confirming that they both intend to comply with an order. which requires them to reclassify their respective workforces.
In Khosrowshahi's statement, he simply stated that "Uber has developed implementation plans" to comply with an order within no more than 30 days. In Green's statement, he said that "such an implementation could include the termination of rideshare operations in all or some parts of California."
Not to be missed
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