Massachusetts congressional leaders demand answers from Big Tech CEOs on driver deaths on the job
“Make no mistake: App-based delivery workers are employees,” congressional leaders tell Big Tech
Boston — As reported in the New York Times today, Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Seth Moulton and Stephen Lynch are demanding answers from the CEOs of Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash following a blockbuster report on the safety crisis these corporations have caused by failing to protect their workers.
In letters to Big Tech’s executives, including Tony Xu, Doordash; Dara Khosrowshah, Uber; Adam DeWitt, Grubhub; Fidji Simo, Instacart; and Logan Gree, Lyft — the Senators and Members of Congress highlighted the health and safety concerns of app-based delivery workers underscored by the Gig Workers Rising report that found that at least 50 app-based workers have been killed on the job since 2017. The report also outlines that there is no evidence that these billion-dollar corporations compensated the families of the slain workers for their loss, making this yet another instance of Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash putting their profits before the safety of drivers.
The letters were co-signed by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
In their letters to CEOs, the Congressional leaders demanded that the Big Tech firms prioritize the health and safety of on the backs of whom Big Tech’s businesses have been built.
According to the letter addressed to Lyft CEO Logan Gree, “App-based delivery workers are some of the most vulnerable workers in our economy, but Lyft has not sufficiently protected and supported them in the face of a global pandemic, increasing violence, and economic instability. Your refusal to grant them basic insurance and benefits, even in the face of death on the job, and despite their key role in your business, is unacceptable. Going forward, we strongly urge you to prioritize the health and safety of your employees.”
The Gig Workers Rising report follows countless stories surrounding Big Tech corporations’ failure to take adequate measures to stop thousands of injuries, assaults, and even deaths that have occurred on their platforms. The report finds 63 percent of the workers killed on the job have been people of color, even though people of color comprise less than 39 percent of the American workforce. Previous reporting has shown that women drivers are especially vulnerable to being sexually harrassed, assaulted, or injured on the job, and feel that the companies they work for have done nothing to ensure their safety.
“The root problem of Uber’s deficient health and safety policies is its exploitative business model. Make no mistake: App-based delivery workers are employees, and it is unacceptable to subject your employees to these occupational risks with such limited protections,” congressional leaders wrote in the letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshah. “These employees are the reason that Uber, like other app-based delivery companies, collects billions of dollars each year in revenue and is able to serve millions of American customers. Uber’s failure to properly categorize its app-based delivery workers as employees means that app-based delivery workers are essentially left on their own. Instead, your drivers and delivery workers should have access to key benefits, including workers’ compensation, disability insurance, and the right to unionize.”
Uber, Lyft and other app-based corporations are currently funding a Massachusetts ballot question that seeks to eliminate accountability for driver, passenger, and public safety. Their ballot question attempts to do away with the corporations’ liability for harassment, property damage, and injuries harming passengers, drivers, and the public, allowing app-based companies to escape responsibility for the pain and suffering they cause. Massachusetts is not for sale, a coalition of drivers, passengers, and allies united against Big Tech’s anti-worker and anti-consumer agenda, is urging Massachusetts voters to vote no on the ballot question.
“It’s appalling that these corporations would turn a blind eye to more than 50 worker deaths that have occurred on their platforms over the past five years, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Big Tech it’s that they’re willing to do anything to scrape a few more bucks,” said Wes McEnany, Executive Director of Massachusetts is not for sale. “We are so grateful to our representatives for standing alongside drivers and gig workers in our fight to demand better from these corporations. Senators Warren and Markey and Representatives Pressley, Lynch and Moulton are leaders not just for Massachusetts, but for the nation — and our state is going to echo their leadership by saying no to Big Tech’s anti-worker ballot scheme at the ballot box this November.”
Massachusetts is not for sale previously commemorated the tragic deaths and injuries suffered by drivers in the line of work by holding a memorial and press conference on National Gig Safety Day in April, which highlighted safety concerns surrounding app-based work. As reports of accidents, injuries, and even death continue to grow, passengers, drivers, and allies are condemning Big Tech’s lack of responsibility and continued attempts to exploit our Commonwealth.
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Massachusetts is not for sale:
Twitter: @MassNotForSale | Facebook: @MassNotForSale | MassachusettsIsNotForSale.org
Massachusetts is not for sale is a growing alliance of drivers, delivery workers, consumer advocates, civil rights organizations, immigrant, faith, labor, community organizing, and racial and environmental justice groups who oppose the $100M+ campaign by Big Tech companies to undermine our law, as they recently did in California through Proposition 22, to avoid paying taxes and Social Security, shield themselves from liability to the public, and win special exemptions from labor and civil rights laws.