Posts tagged Lyft
Biden’s regulatory machine wants to stifle the freedom of the American worker
October 31, 2022 // Frankly, workers are not helpless. They are perfectly capable of choosing their own lifestyles and can evaluate their labor choices along with the compensation and benefits each provides. We currently have an economy in which, for the entirety of 2022, the number of job openings has nearly outnumbered unemployed workers 2-1. If these “gigs” were so horrible, these people would seek other employment. Moreover, the Biden administration’s mandated reclassification would significantly increase the cost of doing business for both small businesses and large companies such as Uber, Doordash, and others that provide unique economic opportunities for gig workers. This heavy-handed regulatory approach will discourage entrepreneurial innovation and result in added costs that will be passed along to the consumer.
Assembly Bill 5 is still wreaking havoc in California and across the country
October 24, 2022 // If you needed proof that AB 5 was a flawed piece of legislation from the very beginning, consider the fact that while the rules for who AB 5 applies to are a mere 325 words, they’re followed by almost 7,000 words worth of carveouts. While a 2020 Proposition which rolled back AB 5 with respect to app-based drivers was recently declared unconstitutional, other exceptions put in place by the legislature remain. As a result, politically-connected professions, like lawyers, doctors, and accountants are exempted from AB 5’s onerous requirements. Independent truckers, however, are not among these lucky carve outs, and the state is beginning to feel the consequences. Throughout the United States, approximately 350,000 truck drivers make a living as independent owner-operators—they own their own vehicles and haul loads as contractors for carriers.
Is the Uber, Lyft and gig economy battle over workers nearing its end game?
October 17, 2022 // Proposed Department of Labor rules stop short of classifying Uber and Lyft drivers as employees. But the Biden administration’s pro-worker bias has analysts wondering what may come next in the battle over the gig economy and union momentum in the U.S. workforce. In a worst-case scenario, costs could rise as much as 30 percent for on-demand transportation companies just getting to break even, analyst says, and that means fares may rise as well.
If You Like Your Uber, Can You Keep Your Uber?
October 14, 2022 // Democratic administrations favor having fewer independent contractors and a standardized set of benefits. This gives more power to unions to organize workers. If Uber were the employer of all drivers, a union could ask Uber to support unionizing the labor force. It is practically impossible to organize independent contractors. Public sector unions made 90 percent of their contributions to Democratic candidates in the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.com. With the share of wage and salary workers who belong to unions declining from 20 percent in 1983 to 10 percent in 2021, unions are under pressure to recruit more members to fund union officials’ salaries and member pension plans.
Uber, Doordash plunge after Labor Department proposes change to gig worker classification
October 11, 2022 // The Biden Labor Department released a proposal Tuesday that could make it possible for gig workers to be reclassified as employees, rather than contractors. The proposed rule sent stocks of gig companies like DoorDash, Lyft and Uber down. It comes after a court reinstated a Trump-era rule Biden’s Labor Department tried to block that would have made it easier to classify gig workers as contractors.
Rideshare, retailers brace for tough U.S. independent contractor rule
September 28, 2022 // The meetings at the White House were one-sided, with officials at OIRA letting groups speak and not participating or asking follow-up questions, several employer sources said. They are interpreting that as a sign the Biden administration's mind is made up. Some of the groups have been trying, and failing, to convince the White House that any broad rule would hurt workers who want to remain independent and have flexibility...More than one-third of U.S. workers, or nearly 60 million people, performed some sort of freelance work.
CPC files amicus brief to protect Californians’ right to the ballot initiative
June 6, 2022 // AB 5’s backers, primarily union leaders and their allies in the state legislature, said gig workers would get health insurance, rest breaks, and other benefits afforded to employees under California state law. Those union leaders did not mention that those drivers would lose what’s arguably the most attractive feature in their bargain with Uber and Lyft: the freedom to determine their work schedules. Castellanos v. California, Lorena Gonzalez, Proposition 22, Judge Frank Roesch,
Democratic Party weighs banning its consultants from anti-union activity
April 19, 2022 // POLITICO has obtained a draft of a contract addendum that would forbid Democratic-aligned consultants from participating in union-busting, aiding an employer in a labor dispute or lobbying against union-backed legislation.
Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan snags government employee union endorsement in AG campaign
April 4, 2022 // The National Association of Government Employees, a Quincy-based union which represents 22,000 public-sector employees in Massachusetts and more than 40,000 nationwide, announced Tuesday that its members unanimously voted to back Liss-Riordan, who hopes to succeed Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running for governor.
Indeed Study Shows Women Took Gig Work, Preferring Flexibility Over Stability During The Pandemic
March 23, 2022 // These opportunities enhance employment options for women. Due to the nature of gig roles, they offer flexibility in the amount of days and hours worked. As studies show, women have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic—partly because they were overrepresented in the hardest-hit sectors, such as hospitality, leisure, travel, restaurants, retail and food services. It's also due to the fact that women were more apt to leave their jobs during the pandemic to take care of their children. This was particularly acute when public schools closed and childcare services were hard to find or too expensive, which made holding a full-time job not financially viable.