Uber and Lyft drivers can spend long days driving people to airports, business meetings, dinners, and back and forth from nights out. But no matter how many hours they spend on the platforms, legally, they are not considered employees — and currently can’t form a union.

Now, Massachusetts voters have to chose whether to provide them with a legal path to forming a union in Question 3.

What Question 3 would change for Massachusetts rideshare drivers

This ballot measure comes from how the U.S. defines certain things in employment law: Unions are typically organizations for employees of companies or governments, which let workers collectively bargain for pay, benefits and labor conditions.

But in Massachusetts, rideshare drivers are not considered employees of Uber, Lyft and similar companies. They’re classified as independent contractors, and under the National Labor Relations Act cannot for a union.

Drivers have made some strides this year.

Over the summer, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office announced a settlement with Uber and Lyft that gives drivers a hourly wage of $32.50 while there is a passenger in their car, health insurance subsidies, paid sick and family leave, workers’ comp insurance and more transparency on pay rates. But part of that settlement was an agreement to keep drivers classified as independent contractors — not employees — for at least five years.

Supporters of Question 3 say they want the measure to pass so that rideshare drivers have a legal...

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