NELP Applauds Introduction of the Empowering App-Based Workers Act

Nationwide—NELP applauds the introduction of the Empowering App-Based Workers Act in the U.S. Senate. The bill, introduced by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), is a critical step forward in workers’ fight to improve standards for app-based jobs to make them good jobs.

App-based workers have been demanding greater transparency and accountability as corporations increasingly rely on opaque digital technologies to monitor and manage their workforces. These technologies function as hidden algorithmic “bosses” that influence everything from who gets work to how much they’re paid.

The bill calls for transparency from employers about how they’re using “bossware” to control workers and their work. If passed, the bill would require detailed pay statements for workers and itemized receipts for customers; enable workers to find out how companies make decisions about their pay, work assignments, and discipline; and guarantee ridehail drivers 75 percent of each passenger fare, among other changes.

“We applaud Senators Schatz and Murphy for listening to workers’ demands and introducing the Empowering App-Based Workers Act,” said Rebecca Dixon, president and CEO of NELP. “App-based workers have long sought better pay and greater accountability from corporations that use hidden algorithms to determine pay, work assignments, and discipline. This legislation is an important step forward in building a good-jobs economy where all workers have expansive rights and thrive in good jobs.”

“Rideshare Drivers United is proud to endorse the Empowering App-Based Workers Act,” said Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United. “Our members know that the algorithms behind these apps are basically 21^st century robot bosses: they determine how much we earn, if we earn at all, and when we can earn. We need transparency and accountability, and this bill is a critical step in the right direction.”

“For too long, app-based drivers in Connecticut have fought for fair pay and an end to predatory commissions,” said James Bhandary-Alexander, counsel to Connecticut Drivers United. “Today, Senator Chris Murphy took a critical first step toward answering our call with the Empowering App-Based Workers Act. This vital legislation—a direct result of years of grassroots organizing by groups like ours—will finally bring much-needed transparency to algorithmic wage-setting and cap Uber & Lyft’s excessive take rates. We are proud to endorse it.”

“In Hawaiʻi and across the country, workers are looking to app-based services as a means of employment no matter how poor or unstable the conditions are, just to make ends meet amid the rising costs of living,” said Kami Yamamoto, executive director of Hawai’i Workers Center. “This gig economy has created more informal and contractual positions that are ripe for labor violations such as wage theft. As HWC, we support the Empowering App-Based Workers Act to create better protections for the rights and welfare of workers.”

“Senator Schatz’s bill is a great first step toward protecting app-based workers from hidden fees, undue surveillance, and algorithms that violate their civil rights,” said Jody Calemine, director of advocacy at the AFL-CIO. “It also creates mechanisms to hold big tech accountable when their greed harms workers.”

“For too long, tech companies have hidden behind secret algorithms to underpay Black and Brown workers who make up nearly half of the app-based workforce,” said Brandon Tucker, senior director of policy and government affairs at Color Of Change. “By demanding accountability from Big Tech and ensuring fair pay protections, this legislation takes a critical step toward economic justice for millions of workers whose livelihoods depend on these platforms. We commend the bill’s sponsors and the National Employment Law Project for moving us forward.”