How Prop. 22 Could Reshape Labor Laws and the Future of Work

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2020

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

California voters have approved Proposition 22, the most expensive ballot measure in state history, that will set new labor regulations for a group of delivery and ride-hailing app companies. The measure garnered national attention as a harbinger of how the tech industry could influence labor laws. After the state legislature passed a law last year requiring more workers to be classified as employees instead of contractors, tech executives said they wanted a “third way” of categorizing drivers. But, critics of the proposition say that the deep-pocketed companies effectively did an end-run around state law. We dive into the significance of Prop. 22 in California and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:46.0	You're listening to Forum. I'm Nina Kim. A more than $200 million effort by Uber, Lyft, DoorD, and
0:52.2	Instacart to keep their app-based drivers as contractors
0:55.4	paid off. California voters have decisively backed Proposition 22, exempting the companies from
1:01.4	treating their drivers as employees with benefits and protections under state law. Its passage
1:07.1	is a major defeat for organized labor, as they fear the model will be used by gig companies
1:12.2	nationwide to get around their state's labor laws. Joining us now is Sam Harnett, Silicon Valley
1:18.1	reporter for KQED. Hey, Sam. Hello, Nina. Also with us is Ellen Hewitt's startup supporter for
1:24.0	Bloomberg. Thanks so much for joining us, Alan Hewitt. Hi. So I'll start with you, Ellen. I mean,
1:29.0	Proposition 22, it not only exempts this powerful group of app-based gig companies from having to
1:35.1	classify their contractors as employees, but it does give them some benefits, their drivers,
1:42.0	some new benefits. Can you describe what those are? Yeah, there are
1:45.8	some benefits including sort of a guaranteed earnings and then also what they call a health care
1:52.5	stipend. But I think one important thing to note, these benefits, you know, they are a step
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