By LISA KASHINSKY 03/11/2022 07:15 AM EST

Rep. Ayanna Pressley is endorsing Massachusetts Is Not For Sale at an event Saturday, adding significant political muscle to the coalition of labor and civil rights groups squaring off against a well-funded, tech-backed rival.

The sides are sparring over legislation and a ballot proposal that would classify Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash workers as independent contractors, rather than employees, while offering them certain benefits. But Massachusetts Is Not For Sale argues that the initiatives would cost workers the rights and benefits they should already have as full employees under current state law.

“Major corporations are seeking to create a false choice and undermine the guaranteed right of gig workers in Massachusetts to be paid a living wage, access paid leave, have high-quality healthcare, and more — changes that would disproportionately impact Black, brown and immigrant workers,” Pressley said in a statement, adding that she’s “proud” to stand in opposition to “efforts to buy out our labor laws, residents and workers.”

Pressley joins Sen. Elizabeth Warren in bringing political heft to a coalition facing an uphill financial battle against Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, which raked in more than $17 million in 2021 — mostly from Lyft — and entered 2022 with over $14 million in its war chest. By contrast, Massachusetts Is Not For Sale, formerly known as the Coalition to Protect Workers’ Rights, started this year with $682,658.