HomeWorldUSMassachusetts court cancels ballot for gig workers

Massachusetts court cancels ballot for gig workers

The Massachusetts court ruled on On Tuesday, that proposed vote measure regarding job status of concert drivers violated state law and was not eligible to be presented to voters this fall.

Measure supported by companies like Uber and Lyft would have classified the concert drivers as independent contractors, not employees, for a long time goal of companies. The ruling effectively ended $17.8 million. campaign gig companies to support initiative.

The voting measure contained two “substantially different policy decisions, one of who is buried in darken language” in violation of the state constitution, which requires that all parts of ballots must be bound, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court wrote in his ruling.

Court took issue with position of measure that said drivers were “not employee or agent” of gig company because it was an attempt shield Uber and Lyft from liability in a business of an accident or crime. This position was not related to the rest of a proposal that was about the benefits drivers will or will not receive as independent contractors, according to seven judges panel. The measure would give drivers some limited benefits but exempted companies of in need pay them for full medical benefits, time off or other employee Benefits.

“Petitions that bury individual policy decisions in darken language heighten fears that voters will be confused, misled and deprived of of a meaningful choice,” the court wrote.

For years, gig companies and labor rights groups have argued over how classify drivers: Should they be employees, with full labor protection and benefits? Or should they are independent contractors, responsible for their own costs and, as the companies claim, provided more freedom and flexibility to work in hours They want?

Since it is unlikely that the federal government will solve the issue, Uber and Lyft have begun on Step-by-step march to the castle in them driverslabor statuses.

campaign on part of concert companies to block in them drivers’ labor status in Massachusetts was like an effort in California two years ago. Companies in 2020 successfully convinced California voters pass Proposition 22, a voting measure that secured drivers’ independent contractor status; it was later overruled by a judge. Following year they tried to make a labor deal in New York and it year they made a similar deal with legislators in Washington state, prevention drivers from being hired.

But the defeat of the companies in Massachusetts, strongly pro-workers and pro-union state, shows limits of in strategysaid Terry Gerstein, a workers’ rights lawyer with the Work and Working Life Program at Harvard Law School.

“Politicians should pay attention to reality what gig companies are going to future with deterioration in worker protection is not inevitable,” Ms Gerstein said.

Opponents of the voting measure in Massachusetts applauded the court’s decision.

“Millions of Massachusetts drivers, passengers and taxpayers can rest easier knowing that this unconstitutional attempt by big tech executives to manipulate Massachusetts law was defeated down Supreme Judicial Court, Wes McEnany, who leads Massachusetts not for sell, wrote in email. “The question for the vote was written not only as an attempt reduce rights of driversbut also would put right of passengers and public in risk”.

Uber and Elevator declined to comment organization the leadership of the measure expressed disappointment and stated that it would have been widely support in the fall.

“BUT clear majority of Massachusetts voters, sharing and delivery drivers both supported and would have passed this ballot issue into law.” – Conor Yunitz who is leading Massachusetts coalition for Independent work, said in statement.

group hoped the state legislature would still take action on drivers’ job statuses to end of summer. “We hope that the legislature will endure with 80 percent of drivers who want flexibility and remain independent contractors, having access to new benefits,” Mr. Yunitz wrote.

Interview of about 400 Massachusetts drivers it’s a yearpaid for gig companies, found what 81 percent supported the vote. But critics claimed that drivers were introduced with a false choice between flexibility and benefits when they are classified as employees, give they are both.

“Companies have already spent millions trying to fool drivers and voters to accept this deceitful offer,” Steve Tolman, President of Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said in statement.

Work fight in Massachusetts started in 2020 when the state’s attorney general, Maura Healy sued Uber and Lyft, alleging they misclassified their workers as independent contractors rather than employees. This lawsuit is pending in court.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart responded with ballot measure that withstood the fair chance of passing had it made it’s to the voters if the California Initiative was any indication.

But their plans started falling apart when group of union activists filed a complaint in January, claiming that the voting measure should can’t go on because of clause concerning the liability of concert companies.

Tuesday Massachusetts justices’ ruling made it clear what Uber and Lyft are trying pass ambitious and broad law, went too far.

“Concert companies wrote overly long vote initiative designed embarrass people, in attempt avoid duty for everything from employer obligations to care of passengers when accidents happen,” Ms Gerstein said.

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Tyler Hromadka
Tyler Hromadka
Tyler is working as the Author at World Weekly News. He has a love for writing and have been writing for a few years now as a free-lancer.

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