Bea Beltran Tech 01.26.2023 03:Jan AM EST

Massachusetts Politicians Propose Bills for Rideshare Drivers' Employment Benefits

Working conditions for rideshare drivers in the US have been an issue for a while now, and different states have various ways of tackling the issue. For Massachusetts, however, its politicians are pushing for better working conditions for cab drivers.

Massachusetts Steering Toward Drivers

Following the lawsuit that Massachusetts filed against Lyft and Uber. The state House and Senate hold new bills that will provide drivers with bargaining rights with ridesharing companies, on top of what is already within their power.

The bills would guarantee a minimum wage, paid sick leaves, and other important benefits. Ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft will also cover some of the drivers' expenses as well as contribute to the unemployment insurance system according to Engadget.

Certain benefits will be included as opposed to previous bills wherein drivers would have to negotiate first. It also won't matter if workers are independent contractors or employees, as they will have the same requirements, as mentioned by Senate bill co-sponsor Jaso Lewis.

This protects the drivers from going through the same incident back in 2020. Drivers were allegedly classified as contractors which denied them protections provided by state labor law. The state Supreme Judicial Court rejected the companies' proposal to resolve the issue.

How It Is for Other States

While Massachusetts is going in a direction where drivers would benefit, the same cannot be said for other states. Earlier this January, a New York State judge sided with Uber and denied the pay raise that drivers were asking for.

Justice Arthur Engorgon of the New York State Supreme Court agreed that the Taxi and Limousine Commission used a faulty methodology to calculate the wage hike, considering that they included the factors like the price increase in gas prices which had already gone down.

Drivers expressed their disappointment with the matter, saying that they deserved the raise. An Uber driver said that the increase would make a $200 to $300 addition to his current wage, which would amount to $1,800 to $1,900 a week.

He broke down his expenses and measured that they increased to about $750 a week, compared to $550 a year before that. The driver sends money to his family in Burkina Faso to support them, according to The New York Times.

California is faring well when it comes to the welfare of its drivers. The State Governor Gavin Newsom sign signed Assembly Bill 5 into law. Drivers can now undergo tests to determine whether they classify as contract workers or employees.

This prevents workers from being misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees. This allows companies to deny their workers of certain protections like minimum wage, paid sick days, and health insurance benefits.

According to Governor Newsom's signing statement, the next step would be to make it possible for workers to form a union, where they can collectively bargain to earn more and have a stronger voice in their workplace.