Gig Workers With Uber, Lyft To Be Considered Independent Contractors After Voters Appear To Approve Proposition 22
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Following a multi-million dollar ad blitz by app-based companies, California voters approved Proposition 22 on Tuesday night, according to the latest voter count by the Associated Press.
With 71 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning, 58.44% have voted yes on Prop 22 and 41.56% have voted no, the AP reported.
Among the one dozen propositions under consideration by California voters in the 2020 Election is Proposition 22, which would classify app-based drivers -- who gain income through services like Uber and Lyft -- as independent contractors with their own labor and wage policies.
This proposition is part of the longstanding fight over designating a worker as an employee or an independent contractor.
More than $200 million has gone into advertisements about Proposition 22, featuring app-based drivers and the apps themselves have also been offering insight into the proposition.
"The reality is there's no way we can match the money, but we do have the people power," Felipe Caceres, organizer with the Mobile Workers Alliance, said. "Drivers are coming together to demand their rights, and that's what we have: we have drivers with their authentic voice, not paid spokespeople, who have actually driven for Uber and Lyft who know that their employee status is important and that they deserve paid sick leave."
The "Yes on 22" campaign says an independent survey shows 80% of app-based drivers work only part-time and rely on flexible work to supplement income and provide for their families.
