No on 22 Campaign Op-Ed: CA voters must stop app-company scheme to profit at workers’ expense

Modesto Bee

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing us the best and worst of the gig economy. The best: drivers and shoppers becoming first responders to keep home-bound seniors fed and transport nurses to work. The worst: app companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash buying themselves a special exemption on the November ballot to deny employees sick pay, unemployment leave, and the protective equipment employers are required to provide under California law.

https://www.modbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article244028012.html

NYT Endorses “NO” Vote on App Company Initiative

Capitol Morning Report

Opponents of a proposed ballot measure that would change employment classification rules for app-based drivers report “New York Times Editorial Board tells Californians vote ‘No’ on Uber, Lyft, Doordash’s November initiative;” say Times described measure as being “designed primarily to protect the companies from properly paying for their legion of workers” and it was published “just days after Attorney General Xavier Becerra and three California city attorneys asked a court to immediately force app companies to classify their drivers as employees in accordance with California law.” 

Press Release 6/29/20: Assembly Speaker to Uber, Lyft, and Doordash: Stop Exploiting Workers for Profit

Sacramento, CA — Today the Speaker of the California State Assembly, Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), endorsed a “NO” position against the deceptive Uber, Lyft, and Doordash initiative that will appear on the ballot in November. 

“This app-company initiative is a cynical attempt by billion-dollar corporations to continue exploiting their workers for profit. No more,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. “No more denying drivers the basic protections they’ve earned, like health care, unemployment insurance, and paid sick leave. This November, Californians can finally take action to stand with workers and hold gig company CEOs accountable to follow the law by voting NO on their misguided initiative.”

The app companies wrote their measure and paid to put it on the ballot for one reason only: so they can boost their profits by continuing to unfairly deny their drivers the wages, paid sick leave, and unemployment benefits they’ve earned.Instead of playing by the same rules as all other businesses by classifying their workers as employees instead of contractors and treating them fairly – Uber, Lyft, and Doordash are hoping voters will give them a free pass to circumvent the law. Rejecting their initiative by voting NO will protect the rights of app drivers to minimum wage, overtime, breaks, paid sick leave, healthcare, unemployment insurance, and workers’

Response from California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to Eric Shapiro’s open letter calling for repeal of AB5

The Milpitas Beat

This message is in response to the piece you wrote and published in your news outlet the Milpitas Beat–“Open letter to California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez: Repeal AB5 right this second.”

https://milpitasbeat.com/response-to-the-open-letter-to-california-state-assemblywoman-lorena-gonzalez-repeal-ab5-right-this-second/ 

Gig driver or Uber/Lyft employee? It affects unemployment benefits

San Francisco Chronicle 

Oakland resident Cherri Murphy, 53, has spent three years driving full time for Lyft in addition to her volunteer work as a social justice minister. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, “I was forced to make a decision: Do something that could kill me, or pay my bills?”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Gig-driver-or-Uber-Lyft-employee-It-affects-15321296.php