Legal Case Study: Loconomics Conversion to a Freelancer-Owned Cooperative

Summary

Loconomics¹ is a company that some would place in the realm of the “sharing economy” or “peer economy.” Along with Airbnb, Handy, Uber, and Task Rabbit, Loconomics is an online platform where people may offer their services to strangers who use the platform to book, pay for, and review the services. The service providers who use the platform include babysitters, dog walkers, house cleaners, massage therapists, psychotherapists, and handy people. They are also part of the “freelancer economy,” which is made up of a growing number of people who operate independent businesses, do temporary work, moonlight, and generally work on an independent contractor basis. Organizations like the Freelancers Union have recently been calling attention to the need to create greater income security and better working conditions for this growing sector of society, which, by some estimates, currently encompasses more than one third of the workforce.