A proposed ballot question that hinges on the status and benefits of drivers for app-based services is an “unusual” one and just one part of a bigger challenge around the gig economy and its workers, according to a new analysis.
A report from the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University explores the measure at the center of a contentious and expensive ballot campaign, but does not take a position on it, instead urging voters and lawmakers to “consider all angles and options in order to find the best solution.”
The ballot question, backed and funded by Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash, would establish in state law that drivers working for such platforms are independent contractors, while also setting a wage floor for the time drivers are actively engaged with a customer and giving them access to benefits like paid family and medical leave and accrued sick time.
Those four companies all classify their drivers as contractors. Attorney General Maura Healey is suing Uber and Lyft, alleging they are violating the state’s wage and hour laws by categorizing their drivers as contractors rather than employees.
“This ballot question is unusual because it lacks a definitive ‘keep the status quo’ option,” the cSPA analysis said. “A ‘yes’ vote introduces a new framework for gig drivers; a ‘no’ vote is effectively a bet on the ongoing lawsuit.”
Whatever voters decide, the report said, the ballot question will not fully resolve the question of how to treat a “growing cohort...
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