The office of San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has won a case against a national company in the hospitality industry that allegedly misclassified its on-demand staffing in California — also known as “gig workers” — under state law.  

Qwick Inc. provides freelance staffing to businesses in the hospitality industry, such as catering, bartending and restaurant work. Chiu argued that Qwick had been classifying these workers as independent contractors, despite a law in California that says gig workers are entitled to the same perks and protections as regular employees, such as sick leave, unemployment and workers compensation. 

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.