Episode 30

Sports Betting, Uber/Lyft Union Fight, Schools in Crisis, Ryan Coogler

Today, the hosts dive into the labor dispute between Uber and Lyft and their drivers, teachers striking in Minneapolis, pandemic learning loss, an NFL wide receiver getting a full-year ban for betting on games, and Ryan Coogler being mistaken for a bank robber.

SHOW NOTES

Cory gives a brief rundown on the unionization efforts and how Uber and Lyft, among others, are combating them. Ravi picks up with more specifics on the changes we’d see if gig workers were able to unionize and how the apps are pushing back. (00:54)

Rikki offers some nuance on why gig workers might not universally support unionizing. Ravi gives some data on why flexibility may genuinely be the goal for some gig workers while pointing out what the PRO Act gets right and wrong. (04:17)

Cory outlines the teacher strike in Minneapolis right now, and how thousands of kids are out of school as a result. Ravi offers solutions to get kids back in their seats. (10:32)

Rikki highlights some troubling new data on pandemic learning losses and calls for a nationwide response above and beyond what’s being done on a local level. Cory examines the damage from a posterity perspective. (16:51)

Ravi criticizes the progressive resistance to standardized testing and argues the media adds to the wrongheaded criticism. (20:09)

The hosts have a lighthearted debate about an article in The Atlantic calling for a new school calendar with a break over winter rather than summer. Ravi argues there shouldn’t be a sustained break at all and schooling should be available year-round. (21:54)

The hosts look at NFL wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s full-year ban for betting on games and whether he got a fair punishment. They also give their thoughts on the explosive growth we’ve seen in the newly legalized sports betting industry. (29:04)

Cory explains how Atlanta police recently detained “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler at a bank in Atlanta on suspicion he was robbing it. The hosts discuss whether the incident was an example of racial profiling or a simple misunderstanding. (34:56)

Ukraine war: Three dead as maternity hospital hit by Russian air strike (BBC, 03/10)
What Happened on Day 14 of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (The New York Times, 03/10)
Here are the latest developments in the war on Ukraine. (The New York Times, 03/09)
Uber, Lyft and Others Launch Campaign to Head Off Unions (The Wall Street Journal, 03/08)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/business/economy/uber-lyft-gig-workers-new-york.html (The New York Times, 06/09/2021)
Uber and Lyft say the battle over AB-5 is about preserving flexibility for part-time gig workers. The reality is their businesses have become dependent on full-time drivers and they can’t afford to pay them like employees. (Insider, 08/21/2020)
House Democrats Pass Bill That Would Protect Worker Organizing Efforts (NPR, 03/09/2021)
A Minimum Compensation Standard for Seattle TNC Drivers (Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics and The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School, 07/2020)
America’s Leading App-Based Companies Launch Flex, A New Industry Association (Cision, 03/08)
Independence Works (Flex, 2022)
California Voters Exempt Uber, Lyft, DoorDash From Reclassifying Drivers (The Wall Street Journal, 11/04/2020)
Labor Groups Divided Over Proposal to Let App Workers Unionize in New York (The Wall Street Journal, 05/26/2021)
A Little-Noticed Reason Workers Quit: Too Little Work (The Wall Street Journal, 02/28)
Gig companies launch lobbying group to counter PRO Act push (The Hill, 03/08)
The PRO Act and the ABC Test (The Authors Guild, 03/11/2021)
Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery (The White House, 03/01)
Biden still wants to kill the gig economy and force workers to pay union dues (Washington Examiner, 03/01)
Minneapolis educators go on strike, canceling school for more than 30,000 students (CNN, 03/08)
COVID contributes to alarming decline in child literacy (Axios, 03/08)
Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Identification of At-Risk Students: Fall 2021 Literacy Screening Findings (University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development)
Minneapolis teachers hit the picket line as schools close and strike begins (Kare 11, 03/08)
When Minneapolis Teachers Last Went On Strike 50 Years Ago, They Broke The Law And Risked Their Jobs (CBS Minnesota, 03/03)
Minneapolis Teachers Begin Strike After Talks Fail (The New York Times, 03/07)
Educators in St. Paul and Minneapolis may be going on strike soon. Here’s why (Prism, 03/02)
Understanding Student Learning (i-Ready, 11/2021)
Amid academic recovery in classrooms nationwide, risks remain for youngest students with least instructional time during critical early years (Amplify, 03/2022)
U.S. Schools Report Increased Teacher Vacancies Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, New NCES Data Show (National Center for Education Statistics, 03/03)
Does It Hurt Children to Measure Pandemic Learning Loss? (The New York Times, 04/08/2021)
Carranza to NYC families: ‘This is the time’ to weigh opting out of state tests (Chalkbeat New York, 02/25)
About Jesse (I Am An Educator, 2022)
What ‘learning loss’ really means (The Washington Post, 03/10/2021)
First Lady Promotes Literacy: ‘It Affects Every Aspect of Our Society’ (VOA, 10/20/2021)
Biden Education Department Approves One Request to Cancel State Tests But Rejects Others (EducationWeek, 04/07/2021)
How do we help America’s children get back on track in reading after pandemic setbacks? (The Dallas Morning News, 11/12/2021)
Proposing a New School Calendar for the Age of COVID (The Atlantic, 03/08)
The Summer Care Gap (New America, 05/24/2018)
N.F.L. Hands Calvin Ridley a 1-Year Suspension for Betting on Games (The New York Times, 03/07)
The Sports Gambling Gold Rush Is Absolutely Off the Charts (Bloomberg, 12/16/2021)
Inside the life of a gambling help line worker (ESPN, 02/09)
As New York legalizes sports betting, insiders wager on deluge of betting (CBS News, 01/12)
FALCONS’ CALVIN RIDLEY SUSPENDED THROUGH AT LEAST THE 2022 SEASON FOR BETTING ON NFL GAMES IN 2021 SEASON (NFL Communications)
26 Questions About Calvin Ridley’s Suspension for Betting on the NFL (The Ringer, 03/07)
NFL suspends Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley for at least 2022 season for betting on games (ESPN, 03/07)
Calvin Ridley Situation Tweet (Twitter, 03/07)
The Rising Human Cost of Sports Betting (The New York Times, 01/31)
AMERICA’S GAMBLING ADDICTION IS METASTASIZING (The Atlantic, 11/26/2021)
U.S. Sports Betting Doubled in 2021, Surpassing $52B (Front Office Sports, 01/23)
With or Without Legalization, Sports Betting is Here to Stay (Reason, 05/15/2018)
Legal Sports Betting Makes March Madness Better Than Ever (Reason, 03/22/2019)
‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Mistaken for Bank Robber in Atlanta (The New York Times, 03/09)
‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Bank Incident on Police Body Cam Video | TMZ (TMZ YouTube, 03/09)