‘Closer Look’ guests on the pros and cons of navigating gig work amid the pandemic

In this April 21, 2021 file photo, a delivery man bikes with a food bag from Grubhub in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Even before the pandemic, gig workers faced many challenges from pay to safety to receiving benefits.  

Now more than two years into the global health crisis, for Closer Look’s  Paycheck to Paycheck series, program host Rose Scott checks in with several guests to discuss how gig workers and freelancers are faring.

First, Minister Cherri Murphy, a former Lyft driver and the lead organizer with Gig Workers Rising, discusses “Death and Corporate Irresponsibility in the Gig Economy: An Urgent Safety Crisis.” The report seeks to examine and explore the safety crisis that many gig workers face.

Plus, Raphael Espinal, the executive director of Freelancers Union, and Jason McCullough, the founder of Oak Radius Consulting and the leader of SPARK Atlanta, discuss how freelancers navigate insurance benefits, sick leave, retirement and taxes.

Lastly, Sherry Heyl, a driver for Uber Eats and the owner of Amplified Concepts, and Tai Saint-Louis, a freelance journalist and content development consultant, and Richard Berry, a freelance graphic designer and the founder of Design Theory, discuss juggling multiple gigs amid the pandemic.