Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other app-based companies on Tuesday unveiled a new trade association that will push back on Democratic efforts to reclassify gig workers as employees.
The lobbying group, dubbed Flex, kicked off with a seven-figure ad buy in Washington, D.C., that depicted the flexibility gig workers take advantage of and said U.S. ride-hail and delivery drivers work an average of eight hours a week.
“Whether it’s getting around town, shuttling kids to school, or just connecting people with dinner or the groceries they need, our member companies help seamlessly fill gaps in our day-to-day lives,” Flex CEO Kristin Sharp, a former senior staffer for Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), said in a statement. “That’s why it’s so important for Flex to advocate for the everyday heroes driving this economic evolution.”
Flex, whose members include Gopuff, Grubhub, HopSkipDrive and Instacart, will push back on Democrats’ PRO Act, a sweeping pro-labor bill that seeks to reclassify some gig workers as employees rather than contractors, giving them to right to form a union.
The PRO Act passed the House but was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. President Biden called on lawmakers to send the bill to his desk during his State of the Union address last week.
Labor leaders have prioritized backing legislation in Congress and statehouses to stop the spread of the independent contractor model, which they say deprives workers of basic bargaining rights and benefits.
In 2019, California...
Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalov dismissed Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov's claims of advances toward Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia and the capture of several settlements...