Driver lobby group celebrates California governor signing gig economy labor bill into law
Record ID:
1433015
Driver lobby group celebrates California governor signing gig economy labor bill into law
- Title: Driver lobby group celebrates California governor signing gig economy labor bill into law
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 13, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEADER OF RIDESHARE DRIVERS UNITED, NICOLE MOORE, SAYING: "It's a victory for drivers but even more than that, it's a victory for all of us going forward. Companies right now are trying to figure out how to skirt basic labor laws by deploying people by app - health care workers, property managers, all the people who in the past have counted on basic labor standards and the right to have a union, these companies are figuring out how to skirt that." MOORE WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEADER OF RIDESHARE DRIVERS UNITED, NICOLE MOORE, SAYING: "What it does is it establishes a floor, right? It's a floor that all employees in the United States enjoy at this point. There's a minimum wage, if you're injured on the job, you'll have healthcare to support you, right? If you lose your job, you'll have unemployment insurance so that you can at least get to the next job. Those are things that Lyft and Uber drivers do not have."
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 23:58
- Keywords: Lyft Uber AB 5 California Gavin Newsom governor employment laws
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES;
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES;
- Country: USA
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003AX6S9C7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed into law a controversial labor bill, AB 5, which spells out when companies must treat "gig economy" contract workers as employees.
The new law has been opposed by companies that depend heavily on independent workers, including ride hailing and delivery services.
Nicole Moore, who is the leader of Rideshare Drivers United, told Reuters "It's a victory for drivers but even more than that, it's a victory for all of us going forward. Companies right now are trying to figure out how to skirt basic labor laws by deploying people by app - health care workers, property managers, all the people in the past have counted on basic labor standards and the right to have a union, these companies are finding out ways to skirt that."
Despite the legal victory, Moore has her doubts that the issue will be settled. "These companies are already saying they are not going to follow the law. That sounds criminal to me," she said, adding "It's criminal enough that the drivers, some of them, are sleeping in their car, begging their landlords to wait for the 10th, 11th or 12th for their check and now we're not going to follow the law that this tremendous coalition put in place in our state. No, these companies have to follow the law." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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