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Lyft is wasting millions to stop its Massachusetts drivers from working

Lyft has already spent $ 14.4 million on a November voting system in Massachusetts that would establish its drivers as contractors, not employees – and the most money was donated in one, $ 13 million, the largest donation in state history. on a large scale. It is a clear opening scene that can be a bitter and long battle, a playbook in which Lyft and his gig work well. was tested in California two years ago.

Monga Boston Globe reports, Lyft has so far contributed to the lion’s share of Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers $ 17.2 million military commission, which aims to fund the forthcoming funding. The rest is from Uber, DoorDash and owner of Instacart Maplebear. The previous record of the largest donation was about one-third of its size: $ 5.1 million contribution from General Motors in 2020.

Currently Lyft and Uber are participating in a case, issued by the Massachusetts Attorney General, who argues that the companies have been harassing their operators as contractors. Having a reliable contractor saves them a lot of money and what the workers need – such as low wages, medical care and overtime – but real contractors often control how they work, the time they work, and what they pay for their services. Whether drivers or motorists have such a right has been the subject of many laws it says and countries how these companies work.

California has so far filed a lawsuit against a group of people who worked as hard workers, first through the state Supreme Court. control in 2018, then through AB5, a a well-passed bill that (but briefly) appointed drivers of this type as employees. It came into effect on January 1, 2020 and was amended by the vote rate. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates threw $ 224 million into the idea – continuing their protests, which were mostly active corporations. more than 10 to 1 – the most expensive voting system in California history.

Even Prop 22 was eventually banned illegal, this method has been successful so far in the gig gaming industry. Legal reforms have been filed in court, and nowhere in the United States do drivers of Lyft or Uber have the right to receive full benefits for full-time employees.

In making their Prop 22 case, gig companies used two attack lines. The first, against its own staff, was a simple attempt to tie the idea of ​​”flexibility” to the position of contractors, a false dichotomy perpetuated by the companies themselves. The second was to reassure voters in California that the money associated with the union of workers could force them to reduce jobs or raise prices.

After Prop 22 passed, each company sponsored raised prices anyway. Uber’s chief executive also recently objected to calls from investors that, in the face of potential legislation in the European Union, Uber could, “Uber said.use any example“financial. We arrived in Lyft to ask if it was the same.

Given the widespread popularity of this, it seems unlikely that the Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers committee will be able to dispute the same price-related issue for consumers. However, the $ 17.2 million already collected has paid off, e.g. Globe reports, the advice of well-known politicians who created the most expensive (and possibly the second most expensive) voting rate in the history of Massachusetts, which sought to undermine the right to legislate.

Are you a gig operator or an ambassador working in Massachusetts? Download the Signal messenger of iOS or Android and send me a password to 646 983 9846 and we will contact you.

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