86% of Drivers Surveyed Likely to be Deemed Ineligible for Promised Prop 22 Health Stipend; Drivers Report Barriers, Mass Confusion Over Process and Inadequate Explanation from Gig Companies
CALIFORNIA – Rideshare and delivery drivers will be exposing the broken promises of Prop 22, using survey data collected from more than 500 California gig workers in a virtual press conference on April 29. The new study is the first in-depth analysis of how gig companies’ self-interested interpretation of Prop 22 aims to exclude drivers from the promised health stipend, a key benefit that was heavily publicized in Uber and Lyft’s record-breaking $220 million “Yes on 22” campaign push last year.
Drivers will be joined by researchers from Tulchin Research to share the widespread issues around access to the promised healthcare stipend and the lack of communication from their employers, that has led to 86% of surveyed drivers likely to be deemed ineligible for life-saving healthcare funding – largely due to unilateral and non-statutory decisions by gig companies.
Platforms have created barriers to accessing the healthcare stipend that are not mandated by Prop 22, leaving tens of thousands of uninsured or working-poor drivers without the promised healthcare stipend that Californians voted for last November.
Drivers also report mass confusion regarding the healthcare benefit, with 66% reporting they had not been given enough information from their employers about how to even apply for the stipend, and 60% reporting they have not been given adequate information about which drivers are eligible.
The failures of the Prop 22 healthcare stipend are yet another example of the way the gig economy passes costs on to their workers and the public coffers while siphoning up private revenue.
Drivers will be calling on gig companies to honor the promises of the Prop 22 campaign and automatically disburse health insurance stipends to all drivers who met the minimum requirements for engaged time working.
Who: Rideshare and delivery drivers with Mobile Workers Alliance and We Drive Progress, researchers from Tulchin Research, a national polling firm based in San Francisco
What: Virtual Press Conference releasing survey data and personal stories from drivers showing failure of Prop 22 healthcare stipend system
When: Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Virtually over Zoom
Register: https://seiu1021.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T7JIAX2eTCu-Al4az_Hohg
Background:
After a more than $220 million ad blitz funded by gig companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 22 in last November’s election – with the promise that the proposition would extend minimum labor rights to drivers, including a healthcare stipend of up to 82% of the average statewide Covered California Bronze Plan premium (currently $1227.54 per quarter).
Under Prop 22, in order to qualify for a healthcare stipend, drivers must average at least 15 hours per week of “engaged time” (time spent actively engaged in a ride or delivery) over the course of a quarter. Rather than being disbursed automatically to qualified drivers, gig companies have required drivers to apply to receive the stipend by submitting proof of current health insurance coverage – with only primary policyholders of a Covered CA or privately purchased healthcare plan effectively eligible to receive the stipend.
This arbitrary requirement for drivers to submit proof of enrollment is not required by Prop 22 and could potentially exclude tens of thousands of drivers who would otherwise be eligible through Prop 22.
Survey data collected from Mobile Workers Alliance and We Drive Progress drivers, analyzed by San Francisco-based research firm Tulchin Research, show that of more than 500 surveyed drivers, 86% are likely ineligible to receive the stipend due to their insurance coverage.
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We Drive Progress and Mobile Workers Alliance
We Drive Progress and Mobile Workers Alliance are a movement of app-based workers behind the wheel of every rideshare trip across California. We are part of a coalition of over 24,000 drivers statewide who are responsible for the billions that companies like Uber, Lyft, and their investors pocket every year. We’re uniting to win our union and a better life for ourselves and our loved ones.
CONTACT: Kyle Gregory, 213-595-2835
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