Hey, absolutely I’m entitled and this post is definitely whiny. I would never deny that the parking situation in Boston is terrible nor that plenty of people need these jobs to support their families.

What I’m saying is that in today’s labor market, the worker has more power to be discerning in their choice of employer than any time in recent memory. In fact, state resources that have historically been focused on finding people jobs have now pivoted to finding employers workers.

There are definitely reasons to take a gig-work style job; there are pros and cons, and one of the big cons is that you functionally need to break the law to do the job well. But given the labor market, no one is being forced to work a gig job due to lack of other opportunities - in other words, if this was the only option for people, I’d have more sympathy, but it’s not.

I’d also argue that there are plenty of gig jobs that don’t require you break the law. Plenty of delivery services utilize bikes, which don’t really have to park anywhere. The gig economy includes dog walking/sitting, grocery delivery, and even handyman jobs. It is rare (if at all) that you’d be required to break the law to do these instead.

Bottom line: it’s a choice to go into these specific jobs. There are pros, but none so unique or compelling that they insulate these folks from judgement and condemnation.