For Press

A BILL WITH potentially huge implications for the so-called gig economy is making its way through the California state legislature this summer, laying bare cleavages within the labor movement. Companies like Uber and Lyft are seeking a workaround to the legislation, which would classify their drivers as employees rather than independent contractors, opening the door to a host of employment benefits. Some prominent labor unions, meanwhile, have been in talks with Silicon Valley, even as they voice their commitment to securing workers’ rights.

Gig economy workers are increasingly ubiquitous, shuttling us to appointments and delivering our food while working for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and others. Thanks in large part to the app-based tech boom emanating from this city, 36% of U.S. workers participate in the gigeconomy, according to Gallup. But not all gigs are created equal, Gallup adds, noting that so-called “contingent gig workers” experience their workplace “like regular employees do, just without the benefits of a traditional job — benefits, pay and security.”

Fighting to stave off a bill that could force them to treat their workers as employees, Uber and Lyft this week deployed an unusual weapon: a promise of extra pay to drivers willing to lobby on their behalf. Calling for changes to a bill that would allow drivers to continue working as independent contractors while being afforded some of the protections typically reserved for employees, the ride-hailing companies recruited drivers to rally outside the state Capitol on Tuesday ahead of a Senate labor hearing on the bill.

The battle between California lawmakers and major employers, like Uber and Lyft, is heating up. A bill that could have a big impact on “gig” economy workers is moving forward but not everyone’s on board. Supporters of AB5 crowded Capitol hallways Wednesday. Dozens of Uber and Lyft drivers along with labor unions urging lawmakers to pass the measure that would redefine many independent contractors as employees.

On many mornings, Minda Aguhob, a Harvard-educated data scientist who started driving for Uber and Lyft five years ago as she struggled to find a job, opens her Uber app around 6 o’clock, hoping to hear the familiar ping of a ride request from her first passenger of the day. Wednesday morning was different. At that hour, Aguhob, along with 30 or so of her fellow Uber and Lyft drivers, was piling onto a bus parked outside the West Oakland BART station to make the hour-and-a-half drive to Sacramento.