![[US] Massachusetts’ rideshare drivers pushing for right to unionise](http://globalpayrollassociation.com/cdn/shop/articles/bigstock-Whitestown--Circa-June-----456754585_1200x.jpg?v=1697680958)
In Massachusetts, a new report from Drivers Demand Justice - the group behind the push to allow rideshare drivers to unionise - reveals that Uber and Lyft workers are making less than the state’s minimum wage, Boston Herald reports.
According to the report, drivers in Massachusetts earn less than the $15 per hour minimum established by state law once they account for waiting time and their vehicle maintenance costs.
The report states, “Ridehail drivers in Massachusetts grapple with a harsh reality – promised earnings often fall significantly short of actual compensation. Drivers routinely discover their earnings to be substantially lower than expected, largely attributed to unaccounted-for work time and the substantial burden of work-related expenses. Analysis of ridehail data shows that the net earnings for a majority of drivers in the industry fall below the state’s minimum wage.”
The “median Massachusetts ridehail driver” makes just $12.82 an hour and three out of five drivers learn less than the minimum wage, Drivers Demand Justice said.
According to its report, “Almost half (48.9%) of the typical driver’s gross ridehail earnings are wiped out by driving expenses”.
On October 17, hundreds of Uber and Lyft drivers reportedly rallied at the Massachusetts State House to share the results of their report and push for the passage of HD.1099 or SD.666; an Act establishing collective bargaining rights for TNC drivers.
Advocates say the bill would allow rideshare drivers to unionise and demand better pay and benefits from app-based transportation network companies.
“We provide an essential service, yet Uber and Lyft pay us poverty wages while they rake in billions,” Cletus Awah - an Uber driver in the state - said in a statement shared by the group. “We deserve a living wage and basic protections like the freedom to join a union. But these companies will keep exploiting us until legislators step up and pass the Rideshare Driver Justice Bill.”
A ballot question rejected by the state’s highest court in 2022, aimed to classify rideshare drivers as independent contractors by law, preventing them from organising or holding the companies liable for work-related damages. At the time, those in favour of the change said that most drivers preferred the independence of a contract work arrangement.
In 2020, rideshare companies reportedly spent more than $200 million to successfully get a similar law passed in California.
A new version of last year’s rejected ballot question could appear before Bay State voters in 2024, together with an effort by Drivers Demand Justice to ask voters to allow them to unionise. Until then, drivers are hoping the Legislature can help.
“We have a narrow window to do right by drivers before Uber and Lyft spend millions undermining us like they did in California,” Boston state Rep. Christopher Worrell - a former rideshare driver - said in a statement. “We won’t stop fighting until drivers have rights, respect, and a real voice on the job through a union.”
Source: Boston Herald
(Links and quotes via original reporting)
In Massachusetts, a new report from Drivers Demand Justice - the group behind the push to allow rideshare drivers to unionise - reveals that Uber and Lyft workers are making less than the state’s minimum wage, Boston Herald reports.
According to the report, drivers in Massachusetts earn less than the $15 per hour minimum established by state law once they account for waiting time and their vehicle maintenance costs.
The report states, “Ridehail drivers in Massachusetts grapple with a harsh reality – promised earnings often fall significantly short of actual compensation. Drivers routinely discover their earnings to be substantially lower than expected, largely attributed to unaccounted-for work time and the substantial burden of work-related expenses. Analysis of ridehail data shows that the net earnings for a majority of drivers in the industry fall below the state’s minimum wage.”
The “median Massachusetts ridehail driver” makes just $12.82 an hour and three out of five drivers learn less than the minimum wage, Drivers Demand Justice said.
According to its report, “Almost half (48.9%) of the typical driver’s gross ridehail earnings are wiped out by driving expenses”.
On October 17, hundreds of Uber and Lyft drivers reportedly rallied at the Massachusetts State House to share the results of their report and push for the passage of HD.1099 or SD.666; an Act establishing collective bargaining rights for TNC drivers.
Advocates say the bill would allow rideshare drivers to unionise and demand better pay and benefits from app-based transportation network companies.
“We provide an essential service, yet Uber and Lyft pay us poverty wages while they rake in billions,” Cletus Awah - an Uber driver in the state - said in a statement shared by the group. “We deserve a living wage and basic protections like the freedom to join a union. But these companies will keep exploiting us until legislators step up and pass the Rideshare Driver Justice Bill.”
A ballot question rejected by the state’s highest court in 2022, aimed to classify rideshare drivers as independent contractors by law, preventing them from organising or holding the companies liable for work-related damages. At the time, those in favour of the change said that most drivers preferred the independence of a contract work arrangement.
In 2020, rideshare companies reportedly spent more than $200 million to successfully get a similar law passed in California.
A new version of last year’s rejected ballot question could appear before Bay State voters in 2024, together with an effort by Drivers Demand Justice to ask voters to allow them to unionise. Until then, drivers are hoping the Legislature can help.
“We have a narrow window to do right by drivers before Uber and Lyft spend millions undermining us like they did in California,” Boston state Rep. Christopher Worrell - a former rideshare driver - said in a statement. “We won’t stop fighting until drivers have rights, respect, and a real voice on the job through a union.”
Source: Boston Herald
(Links and quotes via original reporting)