A proposed statewide ballot question for 2022 would ask voters whether to define ride-hailing and delivery drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
The coalition behind this initiative, funded by several app-based corporate giants, promises its proposal would guarantee a minimum pay rate and give workers added benefits. But some labor advocates say its goals are a veiled attempt to skirt the state’s labor laws.
Opponents say the potential ballot question doesn’t account for work-related expenses and would deprive some workers of benefits guaranteed to employees. To make their point, these critics point to Proposition 22 in California, a similar controversial measure passed last year.
The top financial backers of that proposal were the same companies backing the Massachusetts proposals: DoorDash, Instacart, Lyft and Uber.
There are two versions of the ballot proposal; the core difference between them is one includes mandatory safety training for drivers. Both proposals recently cleared a procedural hurdle in the ballot petition approval process, garnering more than 100,000 signatures each. If the Legislature does not act on either proposal by May, at least one would likely be put to voters.
The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work said the ballot proposal's central goal is to legally designate app-based drivers as independent contractors. This would mean workers would not be treated as employees, who are by law entitled...
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