Back in 2020, California voters approved a measure called Proposition 22 that allows Uber, Lyft and the like to classify their drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees. That means the companies can sidestep laws that would otherwise require them to deliver all sorts of job-related benefits. It’s been a bumpy legal ride, but so far Prop. 22 is prevailing in state courts.
The first thing to know about “Scott” from Los Angeles County is that he’s unaffiliated with either the Service Employees International Union — the union suing Uber and Lyft over Prop. 22 — or the industry-backed Protect App-Based Drivers & Services coalition. Scott didn’t even vote in 2020, when the measure was on the ballot.
“I was a little nonchalant about Prop. 22 because I was just getting started, and things were surprisingly good back then,” Scott said. He declined to share his last name because he fears Uber might retaliate against him for speaking publicly.
Scott said his opinion of Prop. 22 changed after it took effect. The measure required gig employers to pay 120% of minimum wage, and that became a kind of ceiling for Scott rather than a floor. In other words, Scott said he makes about $18.60 an hour now.
But he used to make more, a lot more. “In the past, I was making $30, $40, $50 an hour with Uber,” Scott said.
Yet Scott said he still loves choosing his own hours, 20 to 25 a week, and he’s not really bothered by the fact that independent contractors, as defined by Prop....
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