On unprecedented global day of action by gig workers in 9 countries, Los Angeles-area Uber and Lyft drivers will demand better protections and conditions for app-based workers across the world, shed light on the false promises of gig companies’ Prop 22 campaign, and call on Uber and other tech giants to drop their legal defense of the unconstitutional ballot initiative.
Los Angeles — A caravan of rideshare drivers with Mobile Workers Alliance (MWA) will descend on Uber’s Greenlight Hub in Central LA on Wednesday to rally and demand that the tech giant grant gig workers across the world fair pay and basic worker rights and protections. The demonstration, held on the anniversary of Proposition 22’s passage, is part of a series of protests to be held by gig workers in 9 countries in response to the attempt by companies like Uber to spread Prop 22-style legislation around the world.
After convening in MacArthur Park, the LA-area gig workers will drive to Uber’s Greenlight Hub on Beverly Boulevard. There, drivers will rally and share personal stories that shed light on the false promises of tech giants’ Prop 22 campaign and explain why, one year after the ballot initiative’s passage, many drivers still feel their lives are unstable and precarious.
Prop 22, which a California court recently ruled unconstitutional, denies app-based rideshare and delivery drivers the rights and protections afforded to California employees, including a minimum wage, paid sick leave, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, access to workers’ compensation, and the right to join together in a union.
At the LA rally, gig workers will call on Uber, Lyft, and other tech companies to drop their legal appeal of the court ruling declaring Prop 22 unconstitutional and to properly classify drivers as employees and not “independent contractors.”
WHO: Gig rideshare and delivery drivers with Mobile Workers Alliance.
WHAT: Motor caravan, rally, and drivers sharing personal stories that will shed light on the false promises of gig companies’ Prop 22 campaign.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Uber’s Greenlight Hub at 2417 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057
VISUALS: Drivers will hold pro-driver signs, flags, and banners. Cars will be decorated with pro-worker signage.
Among the many protests to be held on November 3, gig worker actions are planned in Barcelona, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Guadalajara, México; São Paulo, Brazil; and Quito, Ecuador.
As part of California protests Wednesday, gig drivers with We Drive Progress and Gig Workers Rising will rally at DoorDash headquarters in San Francisco.
Gig companies claimed California drivers would be better off after Prop 22 passed. Yet one year later, California gig workers’ report that pay remains low; health stipends promised by gig companies have not been received by most workers; and many drivers still rely on government benefits to get by — all problems highlighted in a recent report by the National Employment Law Project.
Background
As part of gig companies’ global efforts to deny worker protections, tech giants like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash spent more than $220 million in 2020 on a misleading ad campaign pushing Prop 22 in California. The ballot initiative, which passed on November 3, 2020, defined gig workers as “independent contractors” and not employees. The classification excludes gig workers from basic labor rights and protections — including paid sick leave, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, access to workers’ compensation, and the right to join together in a union.
In August, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled that Prop 22 was unconstitutional under state law, as it limits California lawmakers’ power to include gig workers in the state’s workers’ compensation program and strips the legislature of its ability to pass laws protecting drivers’ right to organize and form a union. The ruling also said that gig companies misled voters about the intent of Prop 22.
Instead of recognizing drivers’ rights and protections, gig companies have appealed the decision striking down Prop 22 and continue to misclassify California gig workers as independent contractors.
Since Prop 22’s passage, California gig workers have continued mobilizing for their rights. And over the past several years, a global movement of app-based workers has grown to fight gig company exploitation.
Mobile Workers Alliance is 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: Tim Sandoval, 213-218-5855
Download PDF