Drivers, riders, and allies condemn lack of Big Tech accountability on National Gig Safety Day
Advocates, community organizations, and labor leaders speak out against alarming safety concerns, injury, and death in the app-based workplace
BOSTON — Drivers, riders, union members and community leaders united today at Faneuil Hall to take a stand against injury and injustice at the hands of Big Tech. As part of the national events around the country on National Gig Safety Day, drivers shared firsthand accounts of accidents, injuries, and harrowing experiences while on the job, and recognized those who died in the line of work.
App-based corporations including Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have poured millions of dollars into a ballot initiative campaign whose provisions are harmful to Massachusetts workers, passengers, and taxpayers alike. Alarmed by Big Tech’s prioritization of profit over people, leading consumer organizations, labor leaders, and drivers are condemning their lack of corporate responsibility. If passed, Big Tech’s Ballot initiative would undermine essential workplace protections and enable Big Tech to shirk liability in the event of an accident or other incident.
Last week, hundreds of drivers gathered in cities across Massachusetts and urged legislators to stand with them on the pending ballot measure. With each week, driver opposition continues to grow throughout Boston and across the state.
Passenger advocates speaking out today included Elizabeth Good, sister of Will Good — a Boston resident paralyzed in a rideshare accident last year and is now recognized as a leader in the fight against Big Tech exploitation.
“These corporations that are pushing this ballot question here in Massachusetts don’t care about a single thing but their profits. If they can make an extra buck by putting one more driver on the road or booking one more passenger for a ride, they will do it at any cost,” said Elizabeth Good, reading a statement on behalf of Will Good. “Uber took from me the ability to do a job I loved. The company took away my ability to hug my partner, my family and friends, play guitar, and go for a walk in my city. No one should have these essential joys ripped away from them by a company that doesn’t give a damn whether they live or die.”
Community organizations including Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), La Colaborativa, and Union of Minority Neighborhoods also joined today’s rally.
“When workers are misclassified as independent contractors, it not only affects their wages and taxes but also endangers their health and safety,” said Al Vega, Director of Policy and Programs at MassCOSH. “If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we must make all workplaces safer which will keep customers and members of the public safe as well. As we know our state is just the next target, and these companies will continue to throw lots of money to confuse our communities and pit us against each other. We cannot let them do to us what sadly has happened in California.”
“According to a Pew study, 35 percent of gig workers feel unsafe when they go out to work every single day, and 19 percent experience an unwanted sexual advance. They have good reason for being afraid,” said Marcy Goldstein Gelb, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health. “Multi-billion dollar gig companies are pouring money into ballot campaigns all across the country to keep their record-breaking profits at the expense of workers’ lives. Don’t lie to us! Workers never should have to choose between flexibility and [their] lives.”
“We need to change these corporate policies,” said Andy Jo Ramos, Good Jobs Coalition Coordinator at La Colaborativa. “Being from the city of Chelsea, where everyone knows how to hustle, it’s just not right that we have to put our lives at risk to provide for our families.”
“It is unacceptable for billion-dollar corporations to abandon their workers and consumers to horrific accidents or worse because they refuse to take basic safety steps the way that all other corporations are required to do,” said Wes McEnany, Director of Massachusetts is not for sale. “Nothing is more important than our health and safety, and that’s what these corporations are trying to jeopardize with their ballot question. Whether you’re an Uber driver picking up strangers in a place far from home, a parent whose college-aged child takes rideshares to get around, or someone who occasionally uses these app-based services — you should not have to fear for the safety of yourself and your loved ones every time you interact with these platforms because the corporations are willing to sacrifice safety for their bottom line.”
“Why are these companies working to smash the people who make their business model possible?” said Sandra Lopez, a driver for Uber and Lyft, speaking in Spanish (remarks translated by Massachusetts is not for sale Organizing Director Jonathan Paz.) “At one point I drove three drunk Boston College students who were racist, harrassing me, and I had to stop halfway through the ride because I didn’t feel safe. I called the authorities, and law enforcement didn’t show up. When I called Uber and Lyft, they didn’t provide any support to me. I want our elected officials to do the right thing and actually protect the working class.”
“Honest to god, [driving for Uber] is the first job I had where I never knew if I would come home or not,” said Rahim Abbasi, Uber driver and Massachusetts is not for sale organizer. “I dread to think of the time my parents or my sister would get a call saying I didn’t make it home, but knowing these companies they’d probably send an email or a text. If this ballot initiative gets approved, it’ll be a disaster… many more people are going to get injured. Workers’ safety is consumers’ safety.”
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About 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.