Massachusetts Uber drivers push for terms similar to NY settlement

Catch up fast: Uber and Lyft agreed to pay a combined $328 million to New York last month to settle allegations that the ride-sharing companies illegally withheld wages from drivers and failed to provide mandatory paid sick leave.

• Uber and Lyft must pay drivers outside of NYC a guaranteed minimum of $26 per hour, which will be adjusted each year for inflation (NYC drivers already get guaranteed minimum earnings).
• They must also give drivers compensation breakdowns and paid sick leave.

Driving the news: More than 5,000 Uber drivers in Massachusetts signed a petition urging state lawmakers to codify their status as independent contractors while implementing an earnings guarantee and expanding protections and benefits, using the New York settlement as a model.

The other side: Gabe Morgan, 32BJ SEIU vice president, says lawmakers should act to ensure ride-sharing drivers can get unemployment, workers compensation and minimum wage, as well as the right to organize and collectively bargain.

What's next: Dueling ballot measures could land on the ballot in November 2024.

• The campaign to unionize ride-sharing drivers said it gained enough signatures to make the ballot two weeks before today's deadline.
• The opposing coalition, Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts, also said it has enough signatures.