Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley joins opposition to Big Tech ballot initiative
Rep. Pressley announces support for the growing “Massachusetts Is Not for Sale” coalition
BOSTON, MA – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley announced her support for Massachusetts Is Not For Sale, a growing coalition of consumer, civil rights, and labor advocates who are opposing a Big Tech sponsored ballot question aiming to rewrite Massachusetts law in order to eliminate critical worker and consumer protections and line the pockets of out-of-state executives.
The Big Tech “loophole law” would do away with key consumer and worker protections, including minimum wage, overtime, anti-discrimination, unemployment, workers compensation provisions that currently protect all employees in Massachusetts. The push for the loophole law has been decried by a growing number of stakeholders as an effort that also undermines democracy and the Commonwealth’s social safety net, as Big Tech companies pump record amounts of cash into their front group coalition.
On Saturday, Pressley will be standing with a wide range of allies who have joined the Massachusetts Is Not for Sale coalition, including a number of prominent community and labor leaders who are women of color, and will be uniting with their efforts to encourage a No vote on the proposal.
A similar proposal that passed in California after Big Tech companies spent $200 million to purchase its passage has been declared unconstitutional in a recent court ruling.
WHO: Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley with leaders of the Massachusetts Is Not for Sale coalition
WHAT: Rep. Pressley endorsement of the Massachusetts Is Not for Sale coalition
WHEN: Saturday, March 12, 2022, 11:00 A.M. EST
WHERE: Zumix, 260 Sumner St, East Boston, MA 02128 Livestreaming on the Massachusetts Is Not for Sale Facebook Page
Big Tech companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash are pumping millions of dollars into efforts aimed at passing both legislation at the State House and a corresponding ballot question that would allow them to pay workers subminimum wage and deny them benefits, workers’ compensation, and legal and anti-discrimination protections. This ballot question will also harm consumers by removing Big Tech companies’ liability for accidents experienced by consumers while using their services.
“I am proud to stand and join the fight with the Massachusetts Is Not for Sale coalition in opposition to efforts to buy out our labor laws, residents, and workers in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “Safeguarding the rights of workers is a critical part of the effort to advance racial and economic justice in the Commonwealth, and we must resist any and all efforts to strip away critical protections. With this legislation and ballot question, 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. I look forward to working alongside workers, advocates, and the members of Massachusetts Is Not For Sale to safeguard the rights of every worker in our communities.”
“Everyday that these Big Tech companies continue to break the law means that even more vehicles on the road are being turned into mobile sweatshops. The bottom line is the companies wield a tremendous amount of control – much more than they admit to – over the schedules, driving habits, compensation, pay incentives, and working conditions of their employees, even if those employees may not realize what they are fully entitled to under the law,” said Karen Maxwell, Assistant Secretary of the Carmen’s Union ATU Local 589. “Consumers and workers deserve to know the truth. The Big Tech rideshare business model of extracting wealth from Black and brown communities by continually exploiting workers and by overleveraging what is often one of their most valuable assets – their vehicle – is a scam. The Big Tech loophole law, like the Uber and Lyft business model, is also a scam – one that we are so thankful to have strong allies like Rep. Pressley standing against in unity with our growing coalition.”
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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, 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.