California’s Prop 22 is set to go into effect this month and includes a wage floor, a health insurance stipend and some mileage reimbursement for independent app-based workers. The protections that come with regular employment—like sick leave, and full disability and unemployment benefits—are not provided. It’s still too early to say how much of a windfall drivers could get over the status quo. The guarantee that workers be paid more than minimum wage won’t cover time spent waiting for a passenger, hours that account for roughly one-third of their workday on average, according to a study by the University of California, Berkeley.
But while labor activists were fiercely opposed to the ballot measure, even if immigrant workers could vote against the law, it’s not clear that they would. Uber has said three out of four of its drivers supported the proposal. Many of them value the ability to set their own hours and the independence provided by being able to work for multiple apps at once. Uber and Lyft have said that if they were forced to make drivers employees, they would likely hire fewer people and require more structured schedules.
The next battle lines are already being drawn over future gig labor regulations. States like Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Washington and others are all currently scrutinizing gig worker rights. Meanwhile, labor groups are organizing to fight the implementation of Prop 22 in California as well as similar rules elsewhere in the country. Gig Workers Collective organizer Vanessa Bain said the focus will be on mobilizing smaller groups of more highly engaged activists in cities, including workers themselves, even if they can’t vote.
Luis Vasquez worked full time for Uber from 2015 until earlier this year, when he switched to DoorDash as the pandemic decimated demand for ride-hailing. A single dad, Vasquez said he relies on tips to make ends meet, and strongly supports rules that would make gig workers regular employees.
He said every morning for the two weeks leading up to the California vote, he unfurled a series of “No on 22” banners from freeway overpasses throughout Los Angeles. Vasquez, an immigrant, can’t cast a ballot, but said that he found solace by trying to influence the outcome in other ways.
“We put up a tremendous fight, and we’re not going to stop,” he said. “I hope people will do something to stop these companies.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.