Uber and Lyft drivers in California have been fighting for years for higher wages and better working conditions — in the streets, before state lawmakers, in court and at the ballot.
Now, a bill making its way through the state Legislature would allow ride-hailing drivers to unionize.
If Assembly Bill 1340 passes, California would become the second state to give ride-hailing drivers the right to collectively bargain. Massachusetts was the first to do so after voters there approved a ballot measure last year.
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Sectoral bargaining, or negotiating as a group within a certain occupation, has worked in certain places and industries, such as in Los Angeles, where hospitality workers have won wage standards and benefits, said Katie Wells, a tech and labor expert who co-wrote “Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City.” But Wells said she’s concerned that in the ride-hailing industry, sectoral bargaining may not lead to real change.
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Sectoral bargaining “could work, but it has to be done well,” said Laura Padin of the National Employment Law Project, a research and advocacy group for low-wage workers. She said drivers “are subject to a lot of control of the companies” and should be covered under the National Labor Relations Act, but they are not because they’re not considered employees. “In this political environment, it may be the best we can hope for,” Padin said.
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Read the full story at calmatters.org.
