Legislation under consideration in New York Massachusetts and other states look like they might offer gig workers some benefits in terms of limited bargaining rights, but they would come at a high cost.
In the midst of a pandemic, drivers will be denied sick days, and local laws passed in L.A., San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to protect drivers during COVID-19 will be retroactively undone.
Ken Jacobs and Michael Reich
UC Berkely Labor Center
If Uber and Lyft had treated workers as employees, the two TNCs would have paid $413 million into the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund between 2014 and 2019.
Drivers from 27 different countries launched the International Alliance of App Based Transport Workers (IAATW); a rare case where workers who fall outside the scope of traditional labor law and union structures have been able to come together.
One group who won’t benefit much from Uber’s IPO: its drivers, who numbered 3.9 million at the end of last year. They are likely to see their pay worsen as the company strives to become more profitable while facing public shareholder pressure.
Transportation experts see Uber and Lyft as the future. But rural communities still don’t use them.
Only 19 percent of Americans in rural areas use ride-hailing apps.
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