All posts tagged: paying

Lyft is paying 2.5M to settle lawsuit over how it classified drivers

Lyft is paying $272.5M to settle lawsuit over how it classified drivers

Published by skeptic

Lyft has agreed to pay $272.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the ride-hailing company of violating California law by misclassifying drivers as independent contractors, instead of employees. The company said in a regulatory filing that it believes the settlement will allow it to avoid the “costs and distraction of protracted litigation and enable management to maintain its focus on executing its business objectives.” Lyft could not be reached for comment. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by the California Labor Commissioner’s Office in August 2020 that accused Lyft of treating drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, as required under state law at the time. The lawsuit alleged that drivers were denied minimum wage and overtime, as well as other benefits and protections provided to employees, including paid sick leave and timely wage payments. “This settlement is about the workers who came forward and spoke up. Their voices made this outcome possible,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower said in a statement, adding that the LCO will forgo its share of the settlement …

Sick of Paying for Slow Unlimited Data? Readers Recommend This Mobile Carrier

Sick of Paying for Slow Unlimited Data? Readers Recommend This Mobile Carrier

Published by skeptic

When’s the last time you looked at what you’re paying for in your phone bill? If you’ve had the same carrier for years, you may be used to paying a set amount every month, with a few occasional surprises. Or maybe you have your bill set up for autopay, so it’s set-and-forget. But now’s the time to take a look. Especially when it comes to how much you’re paying for data.  Some activities can suck up your data quickly without realizing it — like streaming video, music and built-in AI features. Switching to an unlimited data plan may mean worrying less about surprise overages and slower speeds in most cases, but not all. I’ll share more on that in a bit.  With the holidays fast approaching, upcoming travel and new smartphone releases, you may be looking for a new carrier that offers a good deal on a new phone, service and unlimited data at fast speeds — all without costing a fortune. But with so many carriers to choose from, which one is really the …

The Nerve reaches 5,000 paying subscribers in first year

The Nerve reaches 5,000 paying subscribers in first year

Published by Sam Flores

The Nerve team including co-founders and new hires at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia in April 2026. Picture: Supplied The Nerve, the “small and punky” publication launched by five former Observer journalists, has reached 5,000 paying subscribers in its first year. The culture, politics and tech newsbrand marked the anniversary of its first newsletter on Wednesday, 30 September. Some 70% of its revenue comes from paying readers, while 30% is made up of two grants from individual philanthropic supporters who wish to remain anonymous. This is despite content being provided for free to all readers via a website and a twice-weekly newsletter hosted on the Beehiiv platform. Paying members (at £6.95 per month or £68 per year) access perks such as members-only events or discounted event tickets and access to “ask us anything” online sessions with the team. There are also more than 400 founder members paying £250 a year to show their support and get additional benefits such as a new twice-a-year print magazine. This means subscriber revenue will be a minimum of …

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Paying Illegals 5 To Become ‘Organizers’… And US-Born Residents Are Excluded

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Paying Illegals $575 To Become ‘Organizers’… And US-Born Residents Are Excluded

Published by Jenni Sidey

Boston taxpayers are funding a program that teaches immigrants how to organize, lobby city officials and advocate for political change, then hands participants $575 for completing it. Illegal immigrants are eligible, while U.S.-born Boston residents are not. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu The Immigrants Lead Boston program, operated by Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, is a 10-week course for what the city calls emerging immigrant leaders. Candidates must be Boston residents, at least 18 years old and immigrants. Separately, the city states that interested applicants are encouraged to apply “regardless of their immigration status.” So an illegal immigrant living in Boston can apply for the taxpayer-funded program and its $575 scholarship, while a U.S.-born resident cannot qualify under the city’s stated requirement that candidates be immigrants. According to Boston’s own description, participants learn: Civic engagement and community organizing Public narrative and storytelling How to build leadership teams to produce community change How to navigate city government and engage city officials Immigration issues, racism and equity Participants also conduct civic activities outside class and are expected …

I’m a state pensioner paying HMRC £129.60 in tax — it’s not fair | Personal Finance | Finance

I’m a state pensioner paying HMRC £129.60 in tax — it’s not fair | Personal Finance | Finance

Published by Sam Flores

David Ives is being forced to pay tax on his State Pension after suffering a stroke (Image: Lyn Christiensen) An elderly man who worked since he was 16 has express his frustration at having to pay tax on his State Pension. David Ives, 71, a retired central heating engineer from Minehead, Somerset, has an income of £13,199, made up of the State Pension and personal allowance. He has been sent a demand from HMRC for £129.60 in tax. His long-term partner, Lynda Christiensen, 73 has been left angered by this as he only received £989.21 last April, and did not receive the increased State Pension of £1,015.56 until May this year. Mr Ives said: “I’m very frustrated that I have got to pay tax after all those years of paying tax, that I get hold of a pension and I get taxed.” Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis has said that it is likely the State Pension will rise by 3.9% next April, which would take the full new payment to just over £13,000. But the …

“Harsh reality” of policing in the region as ‘people of West Midlands paying the price

“Harsh reality” of policing in the region as ‘people of West Midlands paying the price

Published by Sam Flores

Overall crime and anti-social behaviour in the West Midlands has fallen despite the “harsh reality” for policing in the region. In his annual report, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said an increase in the number of police officers and police community support officers (PCSO) has helped deliver a reduction in offences in 2026 compared with 2024. But he said decisions taken by centre government over the past 16 years continue to have a serious impact on policing across the area. READ MORE: NHS Watchdogs ‘encouraged by progress’ of Black Country services despite issues Figures showed there were 8,266 police officers in the force in March 2026 compared with 8,102 in 2024 along with a slight increase of four PCSOs to 314 in the same period. Crime across the West Midlands has reduced from 328,153 offences in March 2024 to 300,418 this year while anti-social behaviour offences fell to 18,684 in March 2026 from 26,405 two years earlier. Mr Foster said that 2025/26 had seen 150 brand new officers and 174 officers re-deployed …

Singapore is paying people to read books – can it fix the reading crisis? | Books

Singapore is paying people to read books – can it fix the reading crisis? | Books

Published by Sam Flores

Could the solution to the reading crisis lie in paying people to put down their phones and pick up a book? That’s what one government, at least, is resorting to: this month, Singapore launched a scheme promising actual cash to citizens as a reward for logging reading time on a government website. It’s unlikely to make you megabucks – you have to rack up 50 reading sessions of at least 15 minutes to earn one Singapore dollar (£0.59), with only one logged session allowed per day. But behavioural scientists and psychologists told the Guardian such a scheme could still help boost a habit in precipitous decline. Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist and the author of the bestselling book The Anxious Generation, about the impact of social media on young people’s mental health, says that some children are highly motivated by money, and “all kids respond to rewards to some degree” – so for young people, the scheme is “likely to have some beneficial effect in setting up a habit of reading”. Lory Barile, associate professor in …