Prop 22 Is an Assault on the Rights and Dignity of Uber, Lyft, Postmates Workers

Teen Vogue

If you’re a resident of California, a person who follows workers’ rights issues, or both, you’ve probably heard talk about Proposition 22, a state ballot measure that’s kicked up quite a ruckus over the past few months. Prop 22 concerns the workers at app-based companies who provide transportation and delivery services — think drivers and delivery workers for Uber and Postmates. The goal of Prop 22 is to carve out a special exemption from the state’s AB5 law, which was intended to protect independent contractors from misclassification, and it would extend some half-baked protections and benefits to app-based drivers who would be classified as “independent contractors”; however, these workers would ultimately come away with fewer rights and less flexibility than if they were full-time employees, which many argue is how they should be classified in the first place.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/prop-22-california-workers-rights

The Future of Decent Work Depends on the Failure of Prop 22

OneZero

If the Uber-backed ballot initiative passes, it may lay the groundwork for unrest not seen since the onset of the Industrial Revolution

Ina moment absolutely overstuffed with events that all bear the weight of historic significance — the hard-right lurch of the Supreme Court, an election the president appears destined to lose and then contest, another surge in the deadly pandemic — it’s easy for California’s Prop 22 to get lost in the shuffle. But it could be as momentous as any of that. Its passage would mark a definitive milestone in the rise of algorithm-orchestrated jobs, and deliver a serious and possibly permanent blow to the future of decent work, not unlike the one dealt to workers at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

https://onezero.medium.com/the-future-of-decent-work-depends-on-the-failure-of-prop-22-9678e3031717

The racist business model behind Uber and Lyft

The Guardian

The apps feed a false promise of stability to immigrants and people of color. Instead, drivers receive low pay and no benefits

Uber and Lyft want you to know they aren’t racist. It’s why Uber put up billboards all over the west coast saying “If you tolerate racism, delete Uber.” It’s why Lyft is running ads featuring Maya Angelou’s “Lift up your eyes” poem over clips of Black passengers enjoying their service. It’s all to say – “We get it. We’re woke. We think Black Lives Matter just like you do. We’re with you in the struggle.”

OK, Uber and Lyft. You want a seat at the anti-racism table? Let’s talk about race.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/29/uber-lyft-racist-business-model-prop-22