Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20201001

A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 1 OctOber 2020

Uber, Lyft look to kill California law on app-based drivers

(AP) Californians are being wage, overtime, health insur- likely. She figures she earned closer efited from exemptions for
asked to decide if Uber, Lyft ance and reimbursement for If Proposition 22 passes, it to $10 an hour after account- freelancers and a temporary
and other app-based drivers expenses. would exempt app-based ing for expenses that includ- reprieve for drivers who de-
should remain independent transportation and delivery ed renting a car for $1,000 a liver their publications, have
contractors or be eligible for What's at stake is the future companies from the labor month. She said the hours written editorials in support
the benefits that come with of labor, the nature of work, law and drivers would re- were long and stressful, and of the measure.
being company employees. how conditions are chang- main independent contrac- she got into an accident that,
ing for households amidst tors exempt from mandates had it resulted in injury, The San Francisco Chronicle
The battle between the pow- the pandemic and recession," for overtime, sick leave and would have meant hospi- called the measure imperfect
erhouses of the so-called gig said David McCuan, chair expense reimbursement. tal bills and unpaid time off but said it attempts to strike a
economy and labor unions of California's Sonoma State work. balance between workers and
including the International University political science But it also would put in place the companies that "will keep
Brotherhood of Teamsters department. policies that require those Before I went out to work I the app-based, ride-hail and
could become the most Labor-friendly Democrats companies to provide "alter- always prayed to God ... to delivery services operating in
expensive ballot measure in the Legislature passed the native benefits," including a protect myself," Okawa said. California.
in state history. Voters are law last year to expand upon a guaranteed minimum wage The traffic is crazy. The ride-
weighing whether to create 2018 ruling by the California and subsidies for health in- hailing and delivery compa- The legislative recalcitrance
an exemption to a new state Supreme Court that limited surance if they average 25 nies have spent more than and lawsuits from labor-
law aimed at providing wage businesses from classifying hours of work a week. $180 million, so far, to pass beholden politicians in the
and benefit protections to workers as independent con- the measure, while labor state capital, San Francisco
drivers. tractors. Supporters say drivers enjoy groups have put up more and elsewhere give us no
the independence and flex- than $10 million to defeat it. confidence that a reasonable
Uber and Lyft have fought a Uber and Lyft have main- ibility of the current model. solution could be reached if
losing battle in the Legisla- tained that their drivers meet "If I want to work four hours McCuan said the compa- the initiative were to fail," the
ture and courts. So now, with the criteria to be independent and say, 'I'm done,' I can do nies are likely to put up an- paper wrote.
help from app-based food de- contractors, not employees. that," said Doug Mead, a other $100 million or more, The coronavirus pandemic
livery companies DoorDash, They also have argued the Palm Springs retiree who making it more expensive in has hammered Uber and
Postmates and Instacart they law didn't apply to them be- delivers meals for Uber Eats today's dollars than a 1998 Lyft as more people work
are spending more than $180 cause they are technology and Postmates and estimates proposition that cleared the from home and don't travel.
million to take their fight di- companies, not transporta- he makes about $24 an hour. way to allow Native Ameri- On the other hand, more
rectly to voters in the Nov. 3 tion companies, and drivers "Where is there an employer can tribes to operate casinos people are ordering food and
election. are not a core part of their on the planet where I can do in California. grocery deliveries from app-
business. that? based services such as Post-
Early voting in California Big Tech has joined the big, mates and Instacart. Some
starts Monday. Uber and Attorney General Xavier Opponents say the com- bad bogeymen of California gig workers have switched
Lyft, both headquartered Becerra took the companies panies exploit workers and politics," McCuan said. "If to those platforms for work,
in San Francisco, have said to court, and a San Francisco won't end up delivering as you're going to push some- earning what they say are
they may leave the state if the Superior Court judge ruled much pay as proponents thing and you're going to lower wages.
measure fails. the companies are subject to claim. Saori Okawa, who for have difficulty in the Legisla- A majority of Uber and Lyft
The landmark labor law the new employment stan- a year drove 10 hours a day, ture because Democrats own drivers interviewed over the
known known as AB5 threat- dards. But that ruling has six days a week for Uber in the Legislature and labor is course of an hour recently
ens to upend the app-based been put on hold while the San Francisco and now deliv- a 900-pound gorilla in Sac- at Los Angeles International
business model, which of- companies appeal. ers food, said she wants more ramento, you have to ... go Airport said they support
fers great flexibility to driv- protections for drivers, many around the Legislature. the measure, with all citing
ers who can work whenever Any ruling could be undone of whom are immigrants like the freedom to set their own
they choose. But they forego by the outcome of the vote, her. Most of the state's largest hours and work other jobs.
protections like minimum though further litigation is newspapers, which ben-

Trump Proud Boys remark echoes Charlottesville

(AP) President Donald as he left the White House lem is on the left. And Biden Trump built his political ca- and his refusal to criticize the
Trump on Wednesday tried for a campaign stop in Min- refuses to talk about it." reer on the back of the racist fascist group was denounced
to walk back his refusal to nesota. In fact, FBI Director Chris- lie of birtherism — the false by Democrats on Wednesday.
outright condemn a far right The new flareup over topher Wray told a congres- claim that Barack Obama My message to the Proud
facist group during his debate Trump's messaging on race sional panel last week that it was not born in the United Boys and every other white
with Democrat Joe Biden, was playing out just weeks was white supremacists and States — and his business supremacist group is cease
but the inflammatory mo- before the election, leaving anti-government extremists and political lives have long and desist, Biden said dur-
ment was far from the first the president to play defense who have been responsible featured racial rhetoric and ing a post-debate train tour
time the president has failed on yet another issue when for most of the recent deadly inflammatory actions. The through Ohio and Penn-
to denounce white suprema- he's already facing criticism attacks by extremist groups in president has rarely con- sylvania. That's not who we
cists or has advanced racist of his handling of the coro- the U.S. demned white supremacists are. That's not who we are as
ideas. navirus pandemic and under Proud Boys leaders and sup- when not pressed to do so, Americans.
new scrutiny over his taxes. porters took to social media
Trump's initial refusal to And even after saying the to celebrate the president's
criticize the Proud Boys in- Proud Boys should "stand comments at the debate,
stead saying the group should down," Trump went on call with more than 5,000 of the
"stand back and stand by" — out forces on the other end group's members posting
drew fierce blowback before of the political spectrum and "Stand Back" and "Stand By"
he altered his message in a tried to attack Biden. It was above and below the group's
day-later effort to quell the an echo of the way he had logo.
firestorm. blamed "both sides" for the And when Trump was di-
2017 violence between white rectly asked Wednesday if
"I don't know who Proud supremacists and anti-racist he "would welcome white
Boys are. But whoever they protesters in Charlottesville, supremacist support," he ig-
are they have to stand down, Virginia. nored the question and again
let law enforcement do their "Now antifa is a real prob- stressed the need for "law and
work," Trump told reporters lem," Trump said. "The prob- order."