Massachusetts on Tuesday became the first state in the nation to allow drivers for rideshare giants Uber and Lyft to unionize, a milestone in the years-long fight over employment rights in the gig economy.Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Massachusetts voters narrowly passed a ballot measure on Tuesday that makes the Commonwealth first in the nation to allow Uber and Lyft drivers to join labor unions, a milestone in the years-long fight to expand worker rights in the fast-growing gig economy.
It was the closest vote of the five referendums on the ballot, not officially called until Wednesday afternoon. But with 95 percent of precincts reporting, the measure was winning 54 percent of the vote. It would allow gig drivers to vote to unionize and negotiate contracts, generally circumventing a federal law prohibiting independent contractors from collective bargaining.
“Working people in Massachusetts have won a monumental victory with Question 3 — one that expands labor law in the state to finally include ride-share drivers,” said Roxana Rivera, head of Service Employees International Union 32BJ in New England, one of the labor unions that pushed the measure. “Massachusetts voters have shown us they want drivers to have a meaningful check against the growing power of app-based companies: by empowering them to join together in a union.”
Uber and Lyft themselves — who this summer reached a settlement with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell agreeing to boost minimum wages for drivers to $32.50 per hour and provide health insurance — stayed on the sidelines of the unionization ballot campaign. But in statements Wednesday, the companies suggested they may lobby the Legislature for changes to some of the details of the measure, with a spokesperson for Uber contending it “squeaked by” despite the state’s generally progressive electorate. Read more…
Published: Nov 7, 2024
