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"content": "\u003cp>Last week, Uber and Lyft drivers in California came as close as they've ever been to getting employee status. After eight years of struggling, basic protections like unemployment insurance and guaranteed minimum wage were just a few hours away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early August, a state judge had issued an injunction demanding the companies recognize their drivers employees. In that order, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman noted the companies “prolonged and brazen refusal to comply with California law,” adding that they “may not evade legislative mandates merely because their businesses are so large that they affect the lives of many thousands of people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman\"]'(Uber and Lyft) may not evade legislative mandates merely because their businesses are so large that they affect the lives of many thousands of people.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seemed like employee status would finally happen. But then, at the last moment, a state appeal court stepped in and stayed the injunction. Now drivers who want basic protections once again have to wait, perhaps until the election in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two major lawsuits in progress. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and a handful of city attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816321/california-city-attorneys-sue-uber-and-lyft-over-worker-misclassification\">are suing Uber and Lyft\u003c/a> for failing to comply with AB5, a law that went into effect back in January. The state labor commissioner is suing for back pay for alleged worker misclassification. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft are ramping up advertising for Proposition 22, a ballot initiative in November that would exempt them from state laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fight isn’t new. Treating drivers as independent contractors has been legally suspect ever since Uber and Lyft began over eight years ago. Yet over and over again these companies, and those who copied their business model, have continually found ways to avoid giving workers employee status and protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This evasion has been core to the business models of these companies. Until now, the companies have continued classifying workers as contractors, despite pressure from regulators, local and state governments and thousands of drivers. In that time, Uber and Lyft were able to use the contractor model to build multi-billion dollar companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>‘Tech Startups,’ Not Transportation Companies\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The saga begins in 2012 with a fuzzy pink mustache and a fist bump. Back then Lyft, Uber's smaller competitor, was advertising itself as 'your friend with a car.\" It was Lyft, not Uber, that first started paying drivers to use their own cars to do taxi work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber soon followed suit. Both companies emphasized that they weren’t transportation companies, but rather tech startups with “platforms” to connect riders to drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft also both chose to classify their workers as contractors, which significantly reduced both companies' liability and payroll expenses. That tactic became a major selling point for venture capitalists, who began investing billions in both companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two companies, though, faced a seemingly major hurdle. Many major cities had taxi regulations that mandated drivers had a medallions. Operating without them was illegal. Taxi drivers, many of whom had paid tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for these medallions, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11694401/san-francisco-made-millions-selling-taxi-medallions-now-drivers-are-paying-the-price\">pointed out that Uber and Lyfts were not operating legally\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this was 2013, and the tech industry was enjoying a rosy reception by both the public and regulators. The companies were viewed as job creators, a designation that carried a lot of weight, especially as the nation was still emerging from the shadows of the 2008 financial recession. Most politicians didn’t want to stand in the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pundits and journalists also helped fuel the positive portrayal, commonly painting the companies as innovative agents of change ushering in a future that was not only inevitable, but also desirable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10851717/the-movement-to-kill-the-phrase-sharing-economy\">the “Sharing Economy” \u003c/a>as a concept was largely created and perpetuated by media organizations, which decided not to look at these companies through the lens of transportation or labor, but instead as \"tech\" companies. \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3668606\">If you look back at the media coverage in the first years of these companies\u003c/a>, it was generally swooning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That largely uncritical coverage helped pave the way for a handful of companies representing a tiny fraction of the economy to have an outsize impact on law, corporate practices and the very way our society thinks about work.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Overcoming Regulatory Hurdles\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As cities like San Francisco were opting to allow Uber and Lyft to operate in violation of local taxi laws, state regulators also embraced the companies, handing them a major win in the fall of 2013.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission in 2013 decided to create an entire \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PUC-adopts-rules-for-ride-services-4828477.php\">new regulatory category\u003c/a>, allowing Uber and Lyft to operate in cities throughout the state without being required to follow to local taxi laws. When announcing the creation of “Transportation Network Companies,” then CPUC President Michael Peevey parroted the rhetoric of the companies themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The internet is challenging many traditional business models by turning average everyday consumers into service providers,” Peevey said at the time. “This is a rapidly growing sharing economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Contracting Problems\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>But the independent contractor model quickly began to create problems for the companies’ drivers. They had no workers' compensation for accidents and lacked unemployment insurance and overtime benefits — all basic protections guaranteed to employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"gig-economy\"]This brought lawsuits. In the fall of 2013, Shannon Liss-Riordan filed class action lawsuits against both companies that aimed to get drivers back pay and to end the alleged misclassification of drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft were able to successfully snarl these lawsuits in the court system. It took six years to resolve both cases. The combined $47 million in settlements fell far short of the plaintiff's original goal, and drivers continued to be classified as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Mandatory Arbitration Clauses\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft were able hamstring that lawsuit, and subsequent others, largely through mandatory arbitration clauses: controversial agreements that all Uber and Lyft drivers have to sign mandating that labor disputes be handled privately behind closed doors rather than in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lawyers have been filing misclassification cases more or less since these companies came on the scene,” said Charlotte Garden, a professor at the Seattle University School of Law. \"By looking at how those cases have ended, it is really a testament to how effective individual arbitration is at preventing people from being able to enforce their rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft also fended off regulation by appealing to consumers. They relied on their vast venture capital reserves to make rides artificially cheap — to the ire of traditional taxi drivers. And then, when a city or state enacted unfavorable regulations, the companies would threaten to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the companies would leave for a few months, but they always came back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angry customers, meanwhile, put pressure on politicians who often caved and dropped regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garden said the victories Uber and Lyft enjoyed early on dissuaded other local regulators from trying to rein in the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11833891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11833891\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546.jpg 1024w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-800x534.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco police officer monitors a protest outside of Uber headquarters on Aug. 27, 2019 in San Francisco, where dozens of Uber and Lyft drivers staged a protest in support of AB 5, and to organize a union for ride-hail drivers. \u003ccite>(ustin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They knew regulation would be met with the companies ignoring the regulations and then fighting tooth and nail,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft grew rapidly over the next five years and, by 2018, had amassed a combined $20 billion in venture capital. Meanwhile, a spate of new companies like Postmates and Instacart began adopting similar contract-labor models.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>The ‘ABC Test’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2018, drivers seeking employee status scored a major victory — ironically, as a result of a California Supreme Court case that had nothing to do with gig companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This case began in 2005, three years before smartphones even existed, and close to a decade before the dawn of the gig economy. A truck driver sued a delivery company called Dynamex for classifying him as a contractor and not paying employee benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2018 — 13 years after the case started — the court ruled in favor of the driver. The ruling established an “ABC test” for employment, in which workers can only be considered contractors if they:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>a. are free of control and direction from the company;\u003cbr>\nb. perform work outside the normal course of the company’s business;\u003cbr>\nc. regularly engage in some kind of independently established trade or occupation\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, in the absence of any enforcement, Uber and Lyft continued to classify their drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, the state Legislature took up the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 5, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, went into effect Jan. 1, 2020, codifying the Dynamex decision into law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In advocating for the bill, Gonzalez specifically called out gig companies like Uber and Lyft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In letting a new industry come in and say, ‘Because I hire you through an app, I don’t have any rules’ — that jeopardizes everything,” Gonzalez told lawmakers as they debated the bill in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Uber and Lyft have since still continued to classify drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to AB 5, Uber, Lyft and the delivery company DoorDash put more than $110 million behind Proposition 22 — on the statewide ballot this November — which would exempt gig companies from the new legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>And Then Came the Pandemic ...\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In March, the coronavirus pandemic delivered a nightmare scenario for drivers who saw a precipitous drop in customers and weren't eligible for the paid sick time and unemployment benefits afforded regular employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the pandemic raged on, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in May finally stepped in, announcing a lawsuit against the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra admitted that it had taken the coronavirus for the state to act on the issue of worker misclassification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into what that really means and who suffers the consequences of it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"California Attorney General Xavier Becerra\"]'Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into what that really means and who suffers the consequences of it.'[/pullquote]\u003cbr>\nAnd on Aug. 10, Judge Schulman issued his preliminary order to make Uber and Lyft classify their workers as employees while the state lawsuit unfolds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft went on the offensive. They wrote to their drivers and riders, asking them to vote in favor of Proposition 22. And in a New York Times opinion piece, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/opinion/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-gig-workers-deserve-better.html\">Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi\u003c/a> urged lawmakers to create a new category of worker for Uber and Lyft drivers to accommodate its unique business model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in an interview with MSNBC, Khosrowshahi pulled out a tactic from Uber’s old playbook: He threatened to temporarily suspend service in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We think we comply by the laws,” Khosrowshahi said. “But if the judge and the court finds that we are not and they don’t give us a stay to get to November, then we will have to eventually shut down Uber until November.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So now, after eight years and the involvement of every branch of California’s state government, Uber and Lyft may finally be forced to give California drivers basic employee protections — or, far more unlikely, suspend operations in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if the courts ultimately find that Uber and Lyft have been misclassifying their drivers, the companies may also be forced to give them billions of dollars in back pay for wages and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Uber and Lyft built multibillion dollar companies in part by controversially categorizing their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. But that may change as of this week. This is how we got here. ",
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"title": "For Over Eight Years, Uber and Lyft Have Denied Drivers Employee Protections. Here's How They Did It | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last week, Uber and Lyft drivers in California came as close as they've ever been to getting employee status. After eight years of struggling, basic protections like unemployment insurance and guaranteed minimum wage were just a few hours away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early August, a state judge had issued an injunction demanding the companies recognize their drivers employees. In that order, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman noted the companies “prolonged and brazen refusal to comply with California law,” adding that they “may not evade legislative mandates merely because their businesses are so large that they affect the lives of many thousands of people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seemed like employee status would finally happen. But then, at the last moment, a state appeal court stepped in and stayed the injunction. Now drivers who want basic protections once again have to wait, perhaps until the election in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two major lawsuits in progress. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and a handful of city attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816321/california-city-attorneys-sue-uber-and-lyft-over-worker-misclassification\">are suing Uber and Lyft\u003c/a> for failing to comply with AB5, a law that went into effect back in January. The state labor commissioner is suing for back pay for alleged worker misclassification. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft are ramping up advertising for Proposition 22, a ballot initiative in November that would exempt them from state laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fight isn’t new. Treating drivers as independent contractors has been legally suspect ever since Uber and Lyft began over eight years ago. Yet over and over again these companies, and those who copied their business model, have continually found ways to avoid giving workers employee status and protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This evasion has been core to the business models of these companies. Until now, the companies have continued classifying workers as contractors, despite pressure from regulators, local and state governments and thousands of drivers. In that time, Uber and Lyft were able to use the contractor model to build multi-billion dollar companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>‘Tech Startups,’ Not Transportation Companies\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The saga begins in 2012 with a fuzzy pink mustache and a fist bump. Back then Lyft, Uber's smaller competitor, was advertising itself as 'your friend with a car.\" It was Lyft, not Uber, that first started paying drivers to use their own cars to do taxi work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber soon followed suit. Both companies emphasized that they weren’t transportation companies, but rather tech startups with “platforms” to connect riders to drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft also both chose to classify their workers as contractors, which significantly reduced both companies' liability and payroll expenses. That tactic became a major selling point for venture capitalists, who began investing billions in both companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two companies, though, faced a seemingly major hurdle. Many major cities had taxi regulations that mandated drivers had a medallions. Operating without them was illegal. Taxi drivers, many of whom had paid tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for these medallions, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11694401/san-francisco-made-millions-selling-taxi-medallions-now-drivers-are-paying-the-price\">pointed out that Uber and Lyfts were not operating legally\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this was 2013, and the tech industry was enjoying a rosy reception by both the public and regulators. The companies were viewed as job creators, a designation that carried a lot of weight, especially as the nation was still emerging from the shadows of the 2008 financial recession. Most politicians didn’t want to stand in the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pundits and journalists also helped fuel the positive portrayal, commonly painting the companies as innovative agents of change ushering in a future that was not only inevitable, but also desirable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10851717/the-movement-to-kill-the-phrase-sharing-economy\">the “Sharing Economy” \u003c/a>as a concept was largely created and perpetuated by media organizations, which decided not to look at these companies through the lens of transportation or labor, but instead as \"tech\" companies. \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3668606\">If you look back at the media coverage in the first years of these companies\u003c/a>, it was generally swooning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That largely uncritical coverage helped pave the way for a handful of companies representing a tiny fraction of the economy to have an outsize impact on law, corporate practices and the very way our society thinks about work.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Overcoming Regulatory Hurdles\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As cities like San Francisco were opting to allow Uber and Lyft to operate in violation of local taxi laws, state regulators also embraced the companies, handing them a major win in the fall of 2013.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission in 2013 decided to create an entire \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PUC-adopts-rules-for-ride-services-4828477.php\">new regulatory category\u003c/a>, allowing Uber and Lyft to operate in cities throughout the state without being required to follow to local taxi laws. When announcing the creation of “Transportation Network Companies,” then CPUC President Michael Peevey parroted the rhetoric of the companies themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The internet is challenging many traditional business models by turning average everyday consumers into service providers,” Peevey said at the time. “This is a rapidly growing sharing economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Contracting Problems\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>But the independent contractor model quickly began to create problems for the companies’ drivers. They had no workers' compensation for accidents and lacked unemployment insurance and overtime benefits — all basic protections guaranteed to employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This brought lawsuits. In the fall of 2013, Shannon Liss-Riordan filed class action lawsuits against both companies that aimed to get drivers back pay and to end the alleged misclassification of drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft were able to successfully snarl these lawsuits in the court system. It took six years to resolve both cases. The combined $47 million in settlements fell far short of the plaintiff's original goal, and drivers continued to be classified as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Mandatory Arbitration Clauses\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft were able hamstring that lawsuit, and subsequent others, largely through mandatory arbitration clauses: controversial agreements that all Uber and Lyft drivers have to sign mandating that labor disputes be handled privately behind closed doors rather than in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lawyers have been filing misclassification cases more or less since these companies came on the scene,” said Charlotte Garden, a professor at the Seattle University School of Law. \"By looking at how those cases have ended, it is really a testament to how effective individual arbitration is at preventing people from being able to enforce their rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft also fended off regulation by appealing to consumers. They relied on their vast venture capital reserves to make rides artificially cheap — to the ire of traditional taxi drivers. And then, when a city or state enacted unfavorable regulations, the companies would threaten to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the companies would leave for a few months, but they always came back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angry customers, meanwhile, put pressure on politicians who often caved and dropped regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garden said the victories Uber and Lyft enjoyed early on dissuaded other local regulators from trying to rein in the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11833891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11833891\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546.jpg 1024w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-800x534.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/GettyImages-1170572546-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco police officer monitors a protest outside of Uber headquarters on Aug. 27, 2019 in San Francisco, where dozens of Uber and Lyft drivers staged a protest in support of AB 5, and to organize a union for ride-hail drivers. \u003ccite>(ustin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They knew regulation would be met with the companies ignoring the regulations and then fighting tooth and nail,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft grew rapidly over the next five years and, by 2018, had amassed a combined $20 billion in venture capital. Meanwhile, a spate of new companies like Postmates and Instacart began adopting similar contract-labor models.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>The ‘ABC Test’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2018, drivers seeking employee status scored a major victory — ironically, as a result of a California Supreme Court case that had nothing to do with gig companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This case began in 2005, three years before smartphones even existed, and close to a decade before the dawn of the gig economy. A truck driver sued a delivery company called Dynamex for classifying him as a contractor and not paying employee benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2018 — 13 years after the case started — the court ruled in favor of the driver. The ruling established an “ABC test” for employment, in which workers can only be considered contractors if they:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>a. are free of control and direction from the company;\u003cbr>\nb. perform work outside the normal course of the company’s business;\u003cbr>\nc. regularly engage in some kind of independently established trade or occupation\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, in the absence of any enforcement, Uber and Lyft continued to classify their drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, the state Legislature took up the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 5, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, went into effect Jan. 1, 2020, codifying the Dynamex decision into law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In advocating for the bill, Gonzalez specifically called out gig companies like Uber and Lyft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In letting a new industry come in and say, ‘Because I hire you through an app, I don’t have any rules’ — that jeopardizes everything,” Gonzalez told lawmakers as they debated the bill in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Uber and Lyft have since still continued to classify drivers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to AB 5, Uber, Lyft and the delivery company DoorDash put more than $110 million behind Proposition 22 — on the statewide ballot this November — which would exempt gig companies from the new legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>And Then Came the Pandemic ...\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In March, the coronavirus pandemic delivered a nightmare scenario for drivers who saw a precipitous drop in customers and weren't eligible for the paid sick time and unemployment benefits afforded regular employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the pandemic raged on, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in May finally stepped in, announcing a lawsuit against the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra admitted that it had taken the coronavirus for the state to act on the issue of worker misclassification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into what that really means and who suffers the consequences of it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nAnd on Aug. 10, Judge Schulman issued his preliminary order to make Uber and Lyft classify their workers as employees while the state lawsuit unfolds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft went on the offensive. They wrote to their drivers and riders, asking them to vote in favor of Proposition 22. And in a New York Times opinion piece, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/opinion/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-gig-workers-deserve-better.html\">Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi\u003c/a> urged lawmakers to create a new category of worker for Uber and Lyft drivers to accommodate its unique business model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in an interview with MSNBC, Khosrowshahi pulled out a tactic from Uber’s old playbook: He threatened to temporarily suspend service in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We think we comply by the laws,” Khosrowshahi said. “But if the judge and the court finds that we are not and they don’t give us a stay to get to November, then we will have to eventually shut down Uber until November.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So now, after eight years and the involvement of every branch of California’s state government, Uber and Lyft may finally be forced to give California drivers basic employee protections — or, far more unlikely, suspend operations in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if the courts ultimately find that Uber and Lyft have been misclassifying their drivers, the companies may also be forced to give them billions of dollars in back pay for wages and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A California judge has ordered Uber and Lyft to reclassify their workers from independent contractors to employees with benefits, a ruling that could be consequential for gig economy workers if it survives the appeals process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7032764/Judge-Ethan-Schulman-Order-on-Lyft-and-Uber.pdf\">ruled Monday\u003c/a> that Lyft and Uber's thousands of contract drivers should be given the same protections and benefits under labor law as other full-time employees of the ride-hailing companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schulman said Lyft and Uber use \"circular reasoning\" by only treating tech workers, not drivers, as employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Were this reasoning to be accepted, the rapidly expanding majority of industries that rely heavily on technology could with impunity deprive legions of workers of the basic protections afforded to employees by state labor and employment laws,\" Schulman wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The judge said Uber and Lyft have refused to comply with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793142903/as-california-tries-to-make-contract-workers-employees-industries-push-back\">a California law\u003c/a> passed last year that was supposed to make it harder for companies in the state to hire workers as contractors, so gig economy workers such as drivers for the ride-hailing companies would receive health insurance, workers' compensation and paid sick and family leave. As independent contractors, Uber and Lyft drivers are not provided these benefits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It bears emphasis that these harms are not mere abstractions; they represent real harms to real working people,\" Schulman wrote. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Xavier Becerra called the judge's preliminary order a victory for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The court has weighed in and agreed: Uber and Lyft need to put a stop to unlawful misclassification of their drivers while our litigation continues,\" Becerra said in a statement. \"Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities. We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The judge's order does not take effect for 10 days. Both Uber and Lyft said they plan to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The vast majority of drivers want to work independently, and we've already made significant changes to our app to ensure that remains the case under California law,\" Uber spokesman Matt Kallman said. \"When over 3 million Californians are without a job, our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, Lyft said: \"Drivers do not want to be employees, full stop. We'll immediately appeal this ruling and continue to fight for their independence. Ultimately, we believe this issue will be decided by California voters and that they will side with drivers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the new state law, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/09/18/762108954/california-governor-signs-law-protecting-gig-economy-workers\">known as AB 5\u003c/a>, was passed, Becerra and city officials in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/05/05/850969759/california-sues-uber-and-lyft-for-cheating-drivers-and-taxpayers\">sued\u003c/a> Uber and Lyft to force the companies to comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday's order comes ahead of a trial in that case. But Schulman said there was an \"overwhelming likelihood\" that the state of California would win the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft have asked the court to delay the order until after November when California voters will be asked whether to keep drivers as independent contractors, but Schulman rejected this request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Defendants are not entitled to an indefinite postponement of their day of reckoning,\" the judge wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='uber,lyft']Uber and Lyft, which already have trouble turning a profit, have argued that converting drivers to full-time employees would force the companies to lay off drivers and result in higher prices for passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride-hailing companies have suffered mightily during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its earnings call with investors this month, Uber said its core business of picking and dropping people off has fallen nearly 75%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber is now making more money delivering food than it is from ride-hailing. Still, its revenue remains down 30% from the same period last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the coronavirus outbreak started, Uber has laid off some 6,700 office workers, and Lyft has let go of nearly 1,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement Monday that drivers need additional protections, such as qualifying for unemployment benefits, now more than ever as the economic downturn leaves many workers especially vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These companies have pocketed millions of dollars by leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. That's unacceptable,\" Herrera said. \"There is no rule that prevents these drivers from continuing to have all of the flexibility they currently enjoy. Being properly classified as an employee doesn't change that.\" \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR.org\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=California+Judge+Orders+Uber+And+Lyft+To+Consider+All+Drivers+Employees+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A California judge has ordered Uber and Lyft to reclassify their workers from independent contractors to employees with benefits, a ruling that could be consequential for gig economy workers if it survives the appeals process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7032764/Judge-Ethan-Schulman-Order-on-Lyft-and-Uber.pdf\">ruled Monday\u003c/a> that Lyft and Uber's thousands of contract drivers should be given the same protections and benefits under labor law as other full-time employees of the ride-hailing companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schulman said Lyft and Uber use \"circular reasoning\" by only treating tech workers, not drivers, as employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Were this reasoning to be accepted, the rapidly expanding majority of industries that rely heavily on technology could with impunity deprive legions of workers of the basic protections afforded to employees by state labor and employment laws,\" Schulman wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The judge said Uber and Lyft have refused to comply with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793142903/as-california-tries-to-make-contract-workers-employees-industries-push-back\">a California law\u003c/a> passed last year that was supposed to make it harder for companies in the state to hire workers as contractors, so gig economy workers such as drivers for the ride-hailing companies would receive health insurance, workers' compensation and paid sick and family leave. As independent contractors, Uber and Lyft drivers are not provided these benefits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It bears emphasis that these harms are not mere abstractions; they represent real harms to real working people,\" Schulman wrote. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Xavier Becerra called the judge's preliminary order a victory for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The court has weighed in and agreed: Uber and Lyft need to put a stop to unlawful misclassification of their drivers while our litigation continues,\" Becerra said in a statement. \"Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities. We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The judge's order does not take effect for 10 days. Both Uber and Lyft said they plan to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The vast majority of drivers want to work independently, and we've already made significant changes to our app to ensure that remains the case under California law,\" Uber spokesman Matt Kallman said. \"When over 3 million Californians are without a job, our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, Lyft said: \"Drivers do not want to be employees, full stop. We'll immediately appeal this ruling and continue to fight for their independence. Ultimately, we believe this issue will be decided by California voters and that they will side with drivers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the new state law, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/09/18/762108954/california-governor-signs-law-protecting-gig-economy-workers\">known as AB 5\u003c/a>, was passed, Becerra and city officials in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/05/05/850969759/california-sues-uber-and-lyft-for-cheating-drivers-and-taxpayers\">sued\u003c/a> Uber and Lyft to force the companies to comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday's order comes ahead of a trial in that case. But Schulman said there was an \"overwhelming likelihood\" that the state of California would win the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft have asked the court to delay the order until after November when California voters will be asked whether to keep drivers as independent contractors, but Schulman rejected this request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Defendants are not entitled to an indefinite postponement of their day of reckoning,\" the judge wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Uber and Lyft, which already have trouble turning a profit, have argued that converting drivers to full-time employees would force the companies to lay off drivers and result in higher prices for passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride-hailing companies have suffered mightily during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its earnings call with investors this month, Uber said its core business of picking and dropping people off has fallen nearly 75%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber is now making more money delivering food than it is from ride-hailing. Still, its revenue remains down 30% from the same period last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the coronavirus outbreak started, Uber has laid off some 6,700 office workers, and Lyft has let go of nearly 1,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement Monday that drivers need additional protections, such as qualifying for unemployment benefits, now more than ever as the economic downturn leaves many workers especially vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These companies have pocketed millions of dollars by leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. That's unacceptable,\" Herrera said. \"There is no rule that prevents these drivers from continuing to have all of the flexibility they currently enjoy. Being properly classified as an employee doesn't change that.\" \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR.org\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=California+Judge+Orders+Uber+And+Lyft+To+Consider+All+Drivers+Employees+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/us-weekly-jobless-claims.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">latest unemployment data\u003c/a> show the national job market — and California’s, for that matter — in the toilet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Silicon Valley, the job market isn’t quite so grim — not just despite the coronavirus pandemic, but perhaps because of it. Even as the rest of the economy tanks, these are reasonably good days to be hunting for a mid-level white collar job in web development or tech support. Think about it: We’re all online more than ever. We’re shopping on Amazon, watching live concerts on Facebook, storing ever more photos on Apple’s iCloud, and \u003ca href=\"https://trends.google.com/trends/story/US_cu_4Rjdh3ABAABMHM_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">searching\u003c/a> for baking recipes on Google.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Collectively, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/?results_per_page=5&offices%5B0%5D=Fremont%2C%20CA&offices%5B1%5D=Los%20Angeles%2C%20CA&offices%5B2%5D=Menlo%20Park%2C%20CA&offices%5B3%5D=Mountain%20View%2C%20CA&offices%5B4%5D=Northridge%2C%20CA&offices%5B5%5D=San%20Francisco%2C%20CA&offices%5B6%5D=Santa%20Clara%2C%20CA&offices%5B7%5D=Sausalito%2C%20CA&offices%5B8%5D=Sunnyvale%2C%20CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://careers.microsoft.com/professionals/us/en/l-bayarea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://jobs.apple.com/en-us/search?location=united-states-USA+california-state953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.jobs/en/search?base_query=&loc_query=California&type=area&latitude=38.57944&longitude=-121.49085®ion=California&country=USA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://careers.google.com/jobs/results/?company=Google&company=Google%20Fiber&company=YouTube&employment_type=FULL_TIME&hl=en_US&jlo=en_US&location=California,%20USA&q=&sort_by=relevance&src=Online%2FHouse%20Ads%2FBKWS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alphabet\u003c/a> make up nearly \u003ca href=\"https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nasdaq-composite-erases-2020-losses-strong-tech-earnings-stock-market-2020-4-1029178443\">40% of the market value\u003c/a> of the Nasdaq. Sure enough, all five tech titans are hiring by the hundreds, if not the thousands, in California alone. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg recently told CNBC that the Menlo Park-based social media giant plans to hire \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/02/sandberg-facebook-to-add-10000-new-workers-by-end-of-2020.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10,000 people\u003c/a> this year in product and engineering.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Size Matters Now\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Experts say this particular economic downturn is favoring giants with the cash reserves to wait out a temporary revenue drop or who can pivot to expand in markets with more potential for profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1056px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816241\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM.png\" alt=\"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, interviewed Stanford vaccine expert Dr. Bonnie Maldonado on Facebook Live on May 1, 2020. The event was not a riveting plug for the video streaming service but more than 35,000 people did try to watch.\" width=\"1056\" height=\"1030\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM.png 1056w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-160x156.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-800x780.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-1020x995.png 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1056px) 100vw, 1056px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, interviewed Stanford vaccine expert Dr. Bonnie Maldonado on Facebook Live on May 1, 2020. The event was not a riveting plug for the video streaming service, but more than 35,000 people did try to watch. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, the online video market, which is exploding right now thanks to the pandemic. Facebook’s offerings in the market include Livestream, Messenger, and most recently, Messenger Rooms, which allows up to 50 people to chat at once.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microsoft declined to comment for this story, but on LinkedIn, which the Seattle software giant owns, Microsoft listed nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?keywords=Microsoft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">300,000 jobs\u003c/a> worldwide at the time of this article’s publication.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.jobs/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u003c/a> has hired 175,000 people in its fulfillment and delivery network just since March, but the media focus on its retail and warehouse operations often obscures the fact that the Seattle-based company also employs armies of software developers, technical project managers and the like. Amazon is looking for more than 3,000 people in California alone currently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the biggest names in Silicon Valley, medium-sized tech employers are also looking to hire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we have not increased our hiring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, we remain committed to attracting top talent across key areas of our business,” wrote a spokeswoman for Genentech, the South San Francisco drugmaker owned by Roche. “So far this year, we have filled more than 1,600 positions and currently have over \u003ca href=\"https://www.gene.com/careers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1,200 roles open\u003c/a> across many areas of our business, including research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and IT.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a spokesman for \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.vmware.com/careers/2020/04/message-from-vmware-vp-of-talent-acquisition-on-hiring-and-supporting-our-community.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VMware\u003c/a>, the Palo Alto-based software company has more than 300 openings in California and more than 1,400 globally. VMware’s vice president of talent acquisition \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.vmware.com/careers/2020/04/message-from-vmware-vp-of-talent-acquisition-on-hiring-and-supporting-our-community.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote recently\u003c/a>, “Our hiring efforts are focused on supporting VMware’s five strategic priorities: App Modernization, Multi-Cloud, Virtual Cloud Network, Digital Workspace and Intrinsic Security.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara-based \u003ca href=\"https://jobs.intel.com/ListJobs/All\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Intel\u003c/a> has posted more than 700 jobs on its website, more than 70 of which are based here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>It’s Not All Full-time or Stable Work\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For years, Silicon Valley’s biggest employers have hedged their hiring bets by splitting payroll between full-time employees and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11741371/two-tiered-caste-system-the-world-of-white-collar-contracting-in-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contractors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816242\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2029px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816242\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM.jpeg\" alt=\"Shirley Deng of Hayward is in the market for a marketing job in Silicon Valley. She's getting call backs, but says she'd have an easier time of it if she was looking for a position on the techier side of tech.\" width=\"2029\" height=\"1108\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM.jpeg 2029w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-160x87.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-800x437.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-1020x557.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-1920x1048.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2029px) 100vw, 2029px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Deng of Hayward is in the market for a marketing job in Silicon Valley. She’s getting call backs, but says she’d have an easier time of it if she was looking for a position on the techier side of tech. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here are the top five hiring categories in the Bay Area over the past eight weeks on Santa Clara-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.upwork.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Upwork\u003c/a>, an employment platform for white collar gig work which posts more than 8,000 freelance jobs a day worldwide:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Web Development\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Video Production\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Graphics and Design\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Web and Mobile Design\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Technical Support\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing a lot of activity around web development, around video production. Technical support is a big one. So there’s a lot of activity where, you know, people are young trying to deploy, install and maintain technical systems for their business,” said Hayden Brown, Upwork’s president and CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown adds that, in 2020, it doesn’t make sense to draw an arbitrary line between Silicon Valley and the rest of the economy when it comes to tech.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Increasingly, almost every company is becoming something of a digital business,” Brown said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of that said, your employment security depends in large part on the stability of the company you work for, as the pandemic appears to be most lethal to companies that were struggling before the onset of COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shirley Deng was laid off in April, when the Palo Alto-based, no-fee payday lender startup \u003ca href=\"https://www.earnin.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Earnin\u003c/a> gutted its marketing department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Stable is like a relative term,” Deng said ruefully.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Deng would prefer to work for a bigger company. She owns a house in Hayward with her fiance, and he’s still working, but paying the mortgage could become a concern in about six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of good companies that I might want to work for or envision myself with are holding off on hiring now. Like tech companies have hiring freezes unless it’s a very technical role, where it’s like engineering or developer,” Deng said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The numbers back up Deng’s assessment of the market. You can see who’s hiring and who’s letting people go at \u003ca href=\"http://layoffs.fyi/tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>, a tracker set up by \u003ca class=\"crunchbase-link\" href=\"https://crunchbase.com/person/roger-lee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-type=\"person\" data-entity=\"roger-lee\">Roger Lee, \u003c/a> the co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://humaninterest.com/homepage/?utm_source=GOOGLEPS&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=Brand%20-%20Human%20Interest%20Desktop&utm_content=417770811266&utm_term=human%20interest_p&utm_gclidid=EAIaIQobChMI7_T5ruSY6QIVB8NkCh1PHw7REAAYASAAEgL6NPD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7_T5ruSY6QIVB8NkCh1PHw7REAAYASAAEgL6NPD_BwE\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Human Interest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, a company that helps other companies set up retirement accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2138px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM.png\" alt=\"In the market for a job in Silicon Valley? You might have better luck at a large company, compared to a start up, as this May 5, 2020 screen shot from Layoffs.fyi indicates.\" width=\"2138\" height=\"1136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM.png 2138w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-160x85.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-800x425.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-1020x542.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-1920x1020.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2138px) 100vw, 2138px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the market for a job in Silicon Valley? You might have better luck at a large company, compared to a startup, as this May 5, 2020 screen shot from Layoffs.fyi indicates. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Deng is confident about her prospects even as she’s sober about the need for the economy to take a hit to protect those most vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a grandma who’s 97 this year and I would be heartbroken if she was exposed and had any complications due to [COVID-19]. My fiance also has a vulnerable immune system. So I understand why we’re staying home. But on the flip side, you know, as I’m job hunting, good companies that might have had positions that I wanted to apply to that are on hold,” Deng said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>This Port in a Storm Might Not Last\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skeptics worry that what we’re witnessing in Silicon Valley is a temporary uptick before bad times settle in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly seems like an odd time to try purposely to hire new people. Why? Why not just wait?” asked Rachel Massaro, who directs research at the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies at \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/news-and-media/news-releases/1949-silicon-valley-unemployment-increased-to-3-1-in-earliest-response-to-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joint Venture Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the institute, Silicon Valley’s preliminary March unemployment rate of 3.1% represented a sharp increase over February’s rate, but it’s still significantly lower than in the summer of 2009, when unemployment peaked at 10.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s possible a lot of these data points, a lot of the indicators that we’re looking at, will have a lag time,” Massaro said. “In a few months, we’ll get a better understanding of the influence of the crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, those Silicon Valley companies on the downswing — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/coronavirusliveupdates/news/11816330/airbnb-laying-off-25-of-its-workforce-due-to-travel-decline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Airbnb\u003c/a>, Eventbrite, Lyft and the like — are taking a hit because what they do is directly impacted by the pandemic. But as the economy as a whole sinks into recession, the current winners in Silicon Valley may not be able to sail above the fray for long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tech is not a monolith,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccsce.com/Steve_Levy.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Levy\u003c/a>, director and senior economist of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. “The group of people who are hiring is fairly narrow, and in some cases, short term.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/us-weekly-jobless-claims.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">latest unemployment data\u003c/a> show the national job market — and California’s, for that matter — in the toilet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Silicon Valley, the job market isn’t quite so grim — not just despite the coronavirus pandemic, but perhaps because of it. Even as the rest of the economy tanks, these are reasonably good days to be hunting for a mid-level white collar job in web development or tech support. Think about it: We’re all online more than ever. We’re shopping on Amazon, watching live concerts on Facebook, storing ever more photos on Apple’s iCloud, and \u003ca href=\"https://trends.google.com/trends/story/US_cu_4Rjdh3ABAABMHM_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">searching\u003c/a> for baking recipes on Google.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Collectively, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/?results_per_page=5&offices%5B0%5D=Fremont%2C%20CA&offices%5B1%5D=Los%20Angeles%2C%20CA&offices%5B2%5D=Menlo%20Park%2C%20CA&offices%5B3%5D=Mountain%20View%2C%20CA&offices%5B4%5D=Northridge%2C%20CA&offices%5B5%5D=San%20Francisco%2C%20CA&offices%5B6%5D=Santa%20Clara%2C%20CA&offices%5B7%5D=Sausalito%2C%20CA&offices%5B8%5D=Sunnyvale%2C%20CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://careers.microsoft.com/professionals/us/en/l-bayarea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://jobs.apple.com/en-us/search?location=united-states-USA+california-state953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.jobs/en/search?base_query=&loc_query=California&type=area&latitude=38.57944&longitude=-121.49085®ion=California&country=USA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://careers.google.com/jobs/results/?company=Google&company=Google%20Fiber&company=YouTube&employment_type=FULL_TIME&hl=en_US&jlo=en_US&location=California,%20USA&q=&sort_by=relevance&src=Online%2FHouse%20Ads%2FBKWS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alphabet\u003c/a> make up nearly \u003ca href=\"https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nasdaq-composite-erases-2020-losses-strong-tech-earnings-stock-market-2020-4-1029178443\">40% of the market value\u003c/a> of the Nasdaq. Sure enough, all five tech titans are hiring by the hundreds, if not the thousands, in California alone. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg recently told CNBC that the Menlo Park-based social media giant plans to hire \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/02/sandberg-facebook-to-add-10000-new-workers-by-end-of-2020.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10,000 people\u003c/a> this year in product and engineering.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Size Matters Now\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Experts say this particular economic downturn is favoring giants with the cash reserves to wait out a temporary revenue drop or who can pivot to expand in markets with more potential for profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1056px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816241\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM.png\" alt=\"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, interviewed Stanford vaccine expert Dr. Bonnie Maldonado on Facebook Live on May 1, 2020. The event was not a riveting plug for the video streaming service but more than 35,000 people did try to watch.\" width=\"1056\" height=\"1030\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM.png 1056w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-160x156.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-800x780.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-01-at-3.32.41-PM-1020x995.png 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1056px) 100vw, 1056px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, interviewed Stanford vaccine expert Dr. Bonnie Maldonado on Facebook Live on May 1, 2020. The event was not a riveting plug for the video streaming service, but more than 35,000 people did try to watch. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, the online video market, which is exploding right now thanks to the pandemic. Facebook’s offerings in the market include Livestream, Messenger, and most recently, Messenger Rooms, which allows up to 50 people to chat at once.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microsoft declined to comment for this story, but on LinkedIn, which the Seattle software giant owns, Microsoft listed nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?keywords=Microsoft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">300,000 jobs\u003c/a> worldwide at the time of this article’s publication.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.jobs/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u003c/a> has hired 175,000 people in its fulfillment and delivery network just since March, but the media focus on its retail and warehouse operations often obscures the fact that the Seattle-based company also employs armies of software developers, technical project managers and the like. Amazon is looking for more than 3,000 people in California alone currently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the biggest names in Silicon Valley, medium-sized tech employers are also looking to hire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we have not increased our hiring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, we remain committed to attracting top talent across key areas of our business,” wrote a spokeswoman for Genentech, the South San Francisco drugmaker owned by Roche. “So far this year, we have filled more than 1,600 positions and currently have over \u003ca href=\"https://www.gene.com/careers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1,200 roles open\u003c/a> across many areas of our business, including research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and IT.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a spokesman for \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.vmware.com/careers/2020/04/message-from-vmware-vp-of-talent-acquisition-on-hiring-and-supporting-our-community.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VMware\u003c/a>, the Palo Alto-based software company has more than 300 openings in California and more than 1,400 globally. VMware’s vice president of talent acquisition \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.vmware.com/careers/2020/04/message-from-vmware-vp-of-talent-acquisition-on-hiring-and-supporting-our-community.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote recently\u003c/a>, “Our hiring efforts are focused on supporting VMware’s five strategic priorities: App Modernization, Multi-Cloud, Virtual Cloud Network, Digital Workspace and Intrinsic Security.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara-based \u003ca href=\"https://jobs.intel.com/ListJobs/All\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Intel\u003c/a> has posted more than 700 jobs on its website, more than 70 of which are based here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>It’s Not All Full-time or Stable Work\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For years, Silicon Valley’s biggest employers have hedged their hiring bets by splitting payroll between full-time employees and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11741371/two-tiered-caste-system-the-world-of-white-collar-contracting-in-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contractors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816242\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2029px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816242\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM.jpeg\" alt=\"Shirley Deng of Hayward is in the market for a marketing job in Silicon Valley. She's getting call backs, but says she'd have an easier time of it if she was looking for a position on the techier side of tech.\" width=\"2029\" height=\"1108\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM.jpeg 2029w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-160x87.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-800x437.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-1020x557.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-04-27-at-1.37.02-PM-1920x1048.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2029px) 100vw, 2029px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Deng of Hayward is in the market for a marketing job in Silicon Valley. She’s getting call backs, but says she’d have an easier time of it if she was looking for a position on the techier side of tech. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here are the top five hiring categories in the Bay Area over the past eight weeks on Santa Clara-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.upwork.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Upwork\u003c/a>, an employment platform for white collar gig work which posts more than 8,000 freelance jobs a day worldwide:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Web Development\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Video Production\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Graphics and Design\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Web and Mobile Design\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Technical Support\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing a lot of activity around web development, around video production. Technical support is a big one. So there’s a lot of activity where, you know, people are young trying to deploy, install and maintain technical systems for their business,” said Hayden Brown, Upwork’s president and CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown adds that, in 2020, it doesn’t make sense to draw an arbitrary line between Silicon Valley and the rest of the economy when it comes to tech.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Increasingly, almost every company is becoming something of a digital business,” Brown said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of that said, your employment security depends in large part on the stability of the company you work for, as the pandemic appears to be most lethal to companies that were struggling before the onset of COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shirley Deng was laid off in April, when the Palo Alto-based, no-fee payday lender startup \u003ca href=\"https://www.earnin.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Earnin\u003c/a> gutted its marketing department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Stable is like a relative term,” Deng said ruefully.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Deng would prefer to work for a bigger company. She owns a house in Hayward with her fiance, and he’s still working, but paying the mortgage could become a concern in about six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of good companies that I might want to work for or envision myself with are holding off on hiring now. Like tech companies have hiring freezes unless it’s a very technical role, where it’s like engineering or developer,” Deng said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The numbers back up Deng’s assessment of the market. You can see who’s hiring and who’s letting people go at \u003ca href=\"http://layoffs.fyi/tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>, a tracker set up by \u003ca class=\"crunchbase-link\" href=\"https://crunchbase.com/person/roger-lee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-type=\"person\" data-entity=\"roger-lee\">Roger Lee, \u003c/a> the co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://humaninterest.com/homepage/?utm_source=GOOGLEPS&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=Brand%20-%20Human%20Interest%20Desktop&utm_content=417770811266&utm_term=human%20interest_p&utm_gclidid=EAIaIQobChMI7_T5ruSY6QIVB8NkCh1PHw7REAAYASAAEgL6NPD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7_T5ruSY6QIVB8NkCh1PHw7REAAYASAAEgL6NPD_BwE\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Human Interest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, a company that helps other companies set up retirement accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11816236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2138px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11816236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM.png\" alt=\"In the market for a job in Silicon Valley? You might have better luck at a large company, compared to a start up, as this May 5, 2020 screen shot from Layoffs.fyi indicates.\" width=\"2138\" height=\"1136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM.png 2138w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-160x85.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-800x425.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-1020x542.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-05-at-8.23.08-AM-1920x1020.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2138px) 100vw, 2138px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the market for a job in Silicon Valley? You might have better luck at a large company, compared to a startup, as this May 5, 2020 screen shot from Layoffs.fyi indicates. \u003ccite>(Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Deng is confident about her prospects even as she’s sober about the need for the economy to take a hit to protect those most vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a grandma who’s 97 this year and I would be heartbroken if she was exposed and had any complications due to [COVID-19]. My fiance also has a vulnerable immune system. So I understand why we’re staying home. But on the flip side, you know, as I’m job hunting, good companies that might have had positions that I wanted to apply to that are on hold,” Deng said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>This Port in a Storm Might Not Last\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skeptics worry that what we’re witnessing in Silicon Valley is a temporary uptick before bad times settle in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly seems like an odd time to try purposely to hire new people. Why? Why not just wait?” asked Rachel Massaro, who directs research at the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies at \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/news-and-media/news-releases/1949-silicon-valley-unemployment-increased-to-3-1-in-earliest-response-to-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joint Venture Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the institute, Silicon Valley’s preliminary March unemployment rate of 3.1% represented a sharp increase over February’s rate, but it’s still significantly lower than in the summer of 2009, when unemployment peaked at 10.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s possible a lot of these data points, a lot of the indicators that we’re looking at, will have a lag time,” Massaro said. “In a few months, we’ll get a better understanding of the influence of the crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, those Silicon Valley companies on the downswing — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/coronavirusliveupdates/news/11816330/airbnb-laying-off-25-of-its-workforce-due-to-travel-decline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Airbnb\u003c/a>, Eventbrite, Lyft and the like — are taking a hit because what they do is directly impacted by the pandemic. But as the economy as a whole sinks into recession, the current winners in Silicon Valley may not be able to sail above the fray for long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tech is not a monolith,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccsce.com/Steve_Levy.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Levy\u003c/a>, director and senior economist of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. “The group of people who are hiring is fairly narrow, and in some cases, short term.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In a case that strikes at the heart of the gig economy, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and city attorneys from around the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816321/california-city-attorneys-sue-uber-and-lyft-over-worker-misclassification\">sued Uber and Lyft over their use of contractors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ride-hailing technology companies have built their business model around treating drivers as contractors, or \"gig workers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft argue they don't have to abide by worker protections the same as if they employed hundreds of thousands of drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter California's Assembly Bill 5 and the legal team headed by the state's attorney general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This battle has been exacerbated by our cratering economy, which has left thousands of drivers with no income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That social safety net suddenly seems a little more complicated when huge tech companies don't pay into the state's unemployment fund, no?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In a case that strikes at the heart of the gig economy, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and city attorneys from around the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816321/california-city-attorneys-sue-uber-and-lyft-over-worker-misclassification\">sued Uber and Lyft over their use of contractors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ride-hailing technology companies have built their business model around treating drivers as contractors, or \"gig workers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft argue they don't have to abide by worker protections the same as if they employed hundreds of thousands of drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter California's Assembly Bill 5 and the legal team headed by the state's attorney general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This battle has been exacerbated by our cratering economy, which has left thousands of drivers with no income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That social safety net suddenly seems a little more complicated when huge tech companies don't pay into the state's unemployment fund, no?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Since Uber and Lyft launched almost a decade ago, their drivers have lacked most basic worker protections, including a guaranteed minimum wage, overtime pay, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because, from the onset, the two ride-hailing giants categorized drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, a tactic adopted by subsequent startups like DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart. It’s at the heart of the business model that fuels what is now called the “gig economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for years, drivers and other workers in the gig economy have been fighting to be recognized as employees and have pushed to get the backing of lawmakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, they scored a big victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, joined by city attorneys in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and other jurisdictions across the state, filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft over their use of contractors. The suit aims to force the two companies to recognize their workers as employees under the authority of Assembly Bill 5, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11773833/california-legislature-passes-ab-5-but-uber-says-it-might-refuse-to-follow-it\">a state law\u003c/a> that went into effect this year that significantly limits which workers can be classified as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"California Attorney General Xavier Becerra\"]‘Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into realizing what [worker classification] really means and who suffers the consequences of it.’[/pullquote]In announcing the lawsuit, Becerra outlined its three goals: to stop misclassifying workers, assign penalties and seek restitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The litigation, he said, is based on the premise of “unfair competition” — which asserts that Uber and Lyft have an advantage over other businesses that are following the law and providing their workers with employee protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the effort is successful, the two companies could be forced to pay a penalty of as much as $2,500 per driver, which would amount to billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These companies are willing to take these workers’ labor as drivers,” Becerra said at a press conference Tuesday. “But they don’t want to accept the worker protections that should go with that work, as these employees should get.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement sent to KQED, Lyft said, “We are looking forward to working with the Attorney General and mayors across the state to bring all the benefits of California’s innovation economy to as many workers as possible.” Uber said it would contest the suit in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of protections for Uber and Lyft drivers has come to a head in the current pandemic. Stay-at-home orders have left hundreds of thousands of ride-hail drivers in California with little to no work, forcing them to apply for unemployment benefits. But because of their status as contractors, they have never paid into the state’s unemployment fund. And that means \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11812496/uber-and-lyft-arent-paying-for-drivers-unemployment-you-are-confirms-newsom\" rel=\"noopener\">the state is currently covering the cost\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra said the lawsuit has been in the works for months, but admits that the pandemic sped up the process. Of worker misclassification, he said, “Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into realizing what that really means and who suffers the consequences of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is another step in a years-long legal battle over gig worker classification in California, one that has involved the state’s Supreme Court, Legislature and now, its executive branch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But workers have been arguing that they are employees, not contractors, since the inception of Uber and Lyft. For years, the companies have used arbitration clauses in their contracts to resolve any worker claims behind closed doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in 2018, the state Supreme Court issued a ruling, known as “Dynamex,” making it harder for companies to classify their workers as contractors. AB 5 codified that ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the law took effect in January, however, many gig companies have fought in court against the law’s application and continued to treat their workers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers like Al Aloudi, who works for Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area, are fed up with how long it has taken the government to recognize what he says has been hurting workers for nearly a decade. Soon after he began driving for Uber and Lyft in 2013, Aloudi began organizing other drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"ab-5\"]“We know always that Uber and Lyft don’t obey the law,” Aloudi said. “They move so fast. The government is always going slowly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aloudi said he is happy that the state is finally taking action on AB 5, albeit five months after it became law. He hopes this lawsuit compels the companies to finally start paying for basic worker protections. But he said he’s also concerned it will get snared in the court system and drag on at a time when so many drivers desperately need protections and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber and Lyft have a giant army of attorneys,” Aloudi said. “I worry this could last for months or years. … Maybe I won’t see AB 5 in my lifetime. But I hope my kids at least do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra and city attorneys said they were more hopeful about a speedy resolution. And although no timeframe has yet been laid out, they are seeking an injunction to immediately halt worker misclassification. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcityattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-05-05-Complaint-Filed.pdf\">A full copy of the lawsuit is available here.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the litigation only targets Uber and Lyft, city attorneys on Tuesday suggested it could impact the entire gig economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lawsuit is going to have a ripple effect that radiates out through the gig economy,” Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Often the language we use here gets kind of sanitized,” Feuer added. “Misclassification means cheating. We are here to assure that no company gets an unfair advantage, particularly at the expense of the workers they employ and the taxpayers on whom all of us rely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said he hoped the lawsuit would help curb a disturbing trend in businesses, particularly those in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully we are going to bring an end … to the mindset that has developed over the last 10 years or so that you don’t have to ask permission, you just need to ask for forgiveness,” Herrera said. “Responsible business leaders know that there’s a way to conduct yourself and a way not to. Folks like us shouldn’t be forced to have to bring repetitive actions to make sure companies are adhering to the law and acting in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "California, City Attorneys Sue Uber and Lyft Over Worker Misclassification | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Since Uber and Lyft launched almost a decade ago, their drivers have lacked most basic worker protections, including a guaranteed minimum wage, overtime pay, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because, from the onset, the two ride-hailing giants categorized drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, a tactic adopted by subsequent startups like DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart. It’s at the heart of the business model that fuels what is now called the “gig economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for years, drivers and other workers in the gig economy have been fighting to be recognized as employees and have pushed to get the backing of lawmakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, they scored a big victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, joined by city attorneys in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and other jurisdictions across the state, filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft over their use of contractors. The suit aims to force the two companies to recognize their workers as employees under the authority of Assembly Bill 5, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11773833/california-legislature-passes-ab-5-but-uber-says-it-might-refuse-to-follow-it\">a state law\u003c/a> that went into effect this year that significantly limits which workers can be classified as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In announcing the lawsuit, Becerra outlined its three goals: to stop misclassifying workers, assign penalties and seek restitution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The litigation, he said, is based on the premise of “unfair competition” — which asserts that Uber and Lyft have an advantage over other businesses that are following the law and providing their workers with employee protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the effort is successful, the two companies could be forced to pay a penalty of as much as $2,500 per driver, which would amount to billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These companies are willing to take these workers’ labor as drivers,” Becerra said at a press conference Tuesday. “But they don’t want to accept the worker protections that should go with that work, as these employees should get.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement sent to KQED, Lyft said, “We are looking forward to working with the Attorney General and mayors across the state to bring all the benefits of California’s innovation economy to as many workers as possible.” Uber said it would contest the suit in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of protections for Uber and Lyft drivers has come to a head in the current pandemic. Stay-at-home orders have left hundreds of thousands of ride-hail drivers in California with little to no work, forcing them to apply for unemployment benefits. But because of their status as contractors, they have never paid into the state’s unemployment fund. And that means \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11812496/uber-and-lyft-arent-paying-for-drivers-unemployment-you-are-confirms-newsom\" rel=\"noopener\">the state is currently covering the cost\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra said the lawsuit has been in the works for months, but admits that the pandemic sped up the process. Of worker misclassification, he said, “Sometimes it takes a pandemic to shake us into realizing what that really means and who suffers the consequences of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is another step in a years-long legal battle over gig worker classification in California, one that has involved the state’s Supreme Court, Legislature and now, its executive branch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But workers have been arguing that they are employees, not contractors, since the inception of Uber and Lyft. For years, the companies have used arbitration clauses in their contracts to resolve any worker claims behind closed doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in 2018, the state Supreme Court issued a ruling, known as “Dynamex,” making it harder for companies to classify their workers as contractors. AB 5 codified that ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the law took effect in January, however, many gig companies have fought in court against the law’s application and continued to treat their workers as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers like Al Aloudi, who works for Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area, are fed up with how long it has taken the government to recognize what he says has been hurting workers for nearly a decade. Soon after he began driving for Uber and Lyft in 2013, Aloudi began organizing other drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We know always that Uber and Lyft don’t obey the law,” Aloudi said. “They move so fast. The government is always going slowly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aloudi said he is happy that the state is finally taking action on AB 5, albeit five months after it became law. He hopes this lawsuit compels the companies to finally start paying for basic worker protections. But he said he’s also concerned it will get snared in the court system and drag on at a time when so many drivers desperately need protections and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber and Lyft have a giant army of attorneys,” Aloudi said. “I worry this could last for months or years. … Maybe I won’t see AB 5 in my lifetime. But I hope my kids at least do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra and city attorneys said they were more hopeful about a speedy resolution. And although no timeframe has yet been laid out, they are seeking an injunction to immediately halt worker misclassification. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcityattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-05-05-Complaint-Filed.pdf\">A full copy of the lawsuit is available here.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the litigation only targets Uber and Lyft, city attorneys on Tuesday suggested it could impact the entire gig economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lawsuit is going to have a ripple effect that radiates out through the gig economy,” Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Often the language we use here gets kind of sanitized,” Feuer added. “Misclassification means cheating. We are here to assure that no company gets an unfair advantage, particularly at the expense of the workers they employ and the taxpayers on whom all of us rely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said he hoped the lawsuit would help curb a disturbing trend in businesses, particularly those in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully we are going to bring an end … to the mindset that has developed over the last 10 years or so that you don’t have to ask permission, you just need to ask for forgiveness,” Herrera said. “Responsible business leaders know that there’s a way to conduct yourself and a way not to. Folks like us shouldn’t be forced to have to bring repetitive actions to make sure companies are adhering to the law and acting in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Uber and Lyft Officially Owe California Unemployment Money. Will The State Get It Back?",
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"headTitle": "Uber and Lyft Officially Owe California Unemployment Money. Will The State Get It Back? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>After nearly two months of applications and appeals, some Uber and Lyft drivers are getting unemployment insurance. But Lyft and Uber have not paid a cent into the state’s unemployment fund because the gig companies have continued to classify their drivers as contractors. That means California is going to pay the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft and Uber have claimed to have over 500,000 drivers in California. Depending on how long the pandemic lasts, covering the tab on their unemployment could cost the state hundreds of millions or even more than a billion dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last few weeks, Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11812496/uber-and-lyft-arent-paying-for-drivers-unemployment-you-are-confirms-newsom\">drivers have been getting conflicting advice about whether to apply for pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) for independent contractors, or unemployment insurance (UI) for employees.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PUA is funded by the federal government, while UI is a state program that employers pay into. Since there is no legal question over classification, getting PUA is less complicated, but UI offers almost certainly more money and potentially more long-term security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from the monetary implications, there’s a looming legal question. In January, California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11773942/the-gig-is-up-california-lawmakers-pass-protections-for-gig-workers\">Assembly Bill 5\u003c/a> became law, which makes it harder for companies to classify workers as contractors and avoid paying for things like workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance. But even with AB 5, Lyft and Uber have continued to classify their workers as contractors and avoid paying into the state’s unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates worry that if drivers opt for PUA, which is a more straightforward process than getting UI, it will lend credence to the argument Uber and Lyft are making that their workers are indeed contractors, not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers are stuck in the middle of it all. It has been two months already with little to no work — and there’s no prospect of that changing anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Caught in the Middle\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Maia Wagle, a Los Angeles-based Lyft driver, has been trying to get unemployment insurance since early March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has filled out numerous online forms, sent in documents and called the agency multiple times a day. Late last week, she finally got a hold of someone at California’s Employment Development Department (EDD).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Maia Wagle, a Los Angeles-based Lyft driver\"]‘What am I going to do? I have to pay rent. I have to pay bills. I am just swimming here. So I am just going to take the bone that I am thrown. ‘[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle said the woman on the phone, after looking at her application, said, “Oh well you should just do PUA, it will be faster.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle disagreed. “I said, ‘No, like, I really do qualify for unemployment insurance under AB 5,’ ” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle went back and forth with the woman on the phone. “Then finally she says, ‘Listen, you want my advice, just apply for the PUA. It’s going to take time. What are you going to do? Are you going to get a lawyer, try to like fight your case for you?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are numerous reasons drivers like Wagle want state unemployment insurance instead of PUA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, it’s almost certainly more money. UI is awarded based on gross income, how much total income you bring in before expenses. PUA is calculated on net earnings, what you earn after all expenses are deducted. In both case, higher earnings equal more benefits. Drivers have tons of expenses — gas, wear and tear on their car, phone bills — meaning their gross is much higher than their net earnings, which means they would earn more money through UI instead of PUA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, there’s concern over how long the PUA funding will last compared to UI benefits. Both are set at 39 weeks right now, but it would be up to the federal government to extend PUA and up to California to extend UI. Drivers worry that if the pandemic continues, the federal government will be less likely than California to extend the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a question of who pays for the benefits. UI is covered in part by employers, and PUA money is coming from the federal government. Wagel considers herself a Lyft employee, so she says it is only fair that her employer pays some of the cost instead of federal tax payers. Since Lyft and Uber haven’t paid into the unemployment fund yet, the state would cover the costs, but it would be known that the companies owe California that money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For these reasons, Wagel has been resisting the temptation of applying for PUA and fighting to get UI. But it’s been a hard fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle desperately needs the money. She’s been without work for almost two months. And after all this time fighting to get UI, she’s worn down. The phone call with the woman at the EDD was the last straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just caved,” Wagle said. “As soon as I got off the phone with her I was like, aw fuck it. I am just going to go apply for this PUA. What am I going to do? I have to pay rent. I have to pay bills. I am just swimming here. So I am just going to take the bone that I am thrown. It’s still not right. It’s not right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Persistence and Luck\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While Wagle finally settled for PUA, other drivers have actually gotten through and received UI. It has taken a lot of persistence, and what some drivers say feels like luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To get UI, a driver has to apply, get told they qualify for zero dollars because their employer did not report earnings or contribute to the fund, then appeal that finding, and finally go through an audit where they have to prove to a representative of the EDD how much they earned and that they should be classified as an employee, not a contractor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Numerous drivers have posted on social media about getting UI. KQED spoke with one driver in Daly City who had gone through this whole process and who doesn’t want to use his name for fear of Uber kicking him off the app. He says his trick was not waiting for any kind of confirmation from the EDD, but instead filling out the online form and then sending a package with all of his documentation by certified mail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sent that package a month ago and then he says he just waited and prayed. Then, last week, he got a call from an EDD auditor. She asked him a few questions, and then said he was approved. He was watching online as fellow drivers were filling out online forms, being put on hold for hours when they called and getting nowhere. He said it seemed like a miracle that his claim went through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver in Daly City says he is getting the max in state benefits: $450 a week. He is so happy to have finally gotten some income. He has a family of five to support. But he didn’t want to give up and settle for PUA instead of UI because he didn’t want federal taxpayers to contribute to his unemployment when Uber and Lyft weren’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the AB 5, we’re entitled to get the normal UI with the corporations of Uber-Lyft helping,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Conflicting Advice\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A number of drivers KQED spoke with complained about getting conflicting information from the EDD, either by phone or on the website, about what to apply for and how. The EDD did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carole Vigne is a senior staff attorney at Legal Aid at Work, a nonprofit that is helping drivers get UI. She says it is disappointing that a EDD representative would tell a driver to apply for PUA instead of UI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under California law,” she said, “misclassified independent contractors or gig workers all should be on unemployment insurance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vigne said while it is right for drivers to apply for UI, the state is losing money by covering Uber and Lyft’s bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Eventually when this calms down,” Vigne said, “we anticipate that the state will go after these companies who haven’t paid into the fund, who haven’t been reporting earnings on behalf of workers so that the fund could be paid back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Years of Legal Battle\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the pandemic hit, Uber and Lyft had already been battling for years to continue classifying their workers as contractors. The companies had used the arbitration clauses in their contracts to settle countless legal disputes with workers over classification individually and behind closed doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"ab5\" label=\"more on ab 5\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2018, the California Supreme Court issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11718822/tech-labor-and-newsom-search-for-common-ground-on-the-future-of-gig-workers\">a landmark ruling\u003c/a> that made it much harder for companies to classify their workers as contractors. The state Legislature codified that ruling into law with AB 5. The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, has repeatedly said gig companies classifying workers as contractors is exactly the kind of labor arrangements the law was designed to stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When AB 5 passed on Jan. 1, many drivers thought they would finally become employees and get protections like workers compensation, guaranteed minimum wage and unemployment insurance. But instead, Uber, Lyft and other gig companies continued doing business as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, as soon as AB 5 garnered enough votes to pass, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/retail/story/2019-09-13/instacart-not-uber-is-first-target-in-san-diego-gig-economy-lawsuit\">the city attorney in San Diego filed a lawsuit against Instacart\u003c/a>, but that case is still snarled in the legal system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, has been far more reticent. He has not publicly stated intent to pursue the gig companies on AB 5, and there has been no indication from Newsom’s office if he backs such a move. Newsom’s office did not provide a comment by the time of publication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When AB 5 became law, gig companies braced for enforcement. In early February, a source inside Lyft told KQED in a conversation on background information for another story that they were surprised the state had not already come after them over AB 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the gig companies have been collaborating to nullify the new law and continue classifying their workers as contractors. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Uber-Lyft-DoorDash-campaign-for-ballot-15090479.php\">Several companies, including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, have poured $110 million\u003c/a> into a ballot initiative that would exempt them from AB 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was where everything stood in late February. Then the pandemic hit and brought on the scenario that labor advocates have been warning about for years: Business has plummeted. The hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in the state now have extremely limited or no work, and there’s no money for them in the state unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Appealing Case\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Every Lyft and Uber driver I have interviewed since January has asked me the same thing: If AB 5 is law, then why I am not an employee? And then the follow-up question is: Why hasn’t California started going after gig companies to sort this all out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Levine, a professor of law at UC Hastings, if you set aside issues about politics and power, there are two big legal reasons why the state may have been hesitant to go after Uber and Lyft. The first has to do with precedent and the second is legal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine says there is a danger in the state attorney general or a local district attorney moving too fast and blowing the case. “If you are going to go up against companies this large, you have to do it the right way,” Levine said. “You don’t want a bad precedent because the litigation wasn’t handled correctly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"coronavirus\" label=\"related coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gets to the second point: power. Levine said these companies are so large that they could intimidate anyone who is trying to take them to court. Uber and Lyft have billions of dollars in cash reserves to pay for legal fees. The companies could “unleash their assault troops of lawyers” and bury a state or local agency in paper, Levine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that should not be a reason to hold back, Levine said. “The state’s AG has resources to do this,” he said, adding that government entities are often underfunded when it comes to battles with large corporations. “There’s nothing different here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the pandemic could make organizing a big case difficult, Levine said the fact that California is directly paying unemployment for Uber and Lyft is incentivizing the state to sort this out. It also, he said, gives the state “a very appealing way” to frame the case: Why is California shelling out money to pay for drivers who are out of work, while Lyft and Uber haven’t paid a dime into the unemployment fund?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the state doesn’t go after Uber and Lyft, it could be on the hook for a lot of money — money it doesn’t have, as California has already started borrowing money from the federal government to pay unemployment. It is approved to draw from the federal government as much as $10 billion by the end of July.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Uber and Lyft Officially Owe California Unemployment Money. Will The State Get It Back? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After nearly two months of applications and appeals, some Uber and Lyft drivers are getting unemployment insurance. But Lyft and Uber have not paid a cent into the state’s unemployment fund because the gig companies have continued to classify their drivers as contractors. That means California is going to pay the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft and Uber have claimed to have over 500,000 drivers in California. Depending on how long the pandemic lasts, covering the tab on their unemployment could cost the state hundreds of millions or even more than a billion dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last few weeks, Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11812496/uber-and-lyft-arent-paying-for-drivers-unemployment-you-are-confirms-newsom\">drivers have been getting conflicting advice about whether to apply for pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) for independent contractors, or unemployment insurance (UI) for employees.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PUA is funded by the federal government, while UI is a state program that employers pay into. Since there is no legal question over classification, getting PUA is less complicated, but UI offers almost certainly more money and potentially more long-term security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from the monetary implications, there’s a looming legal question. In January, California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11773942/the-gig-is-up-california-lawmakers-pass-protections-for-gig-workers\">Assembly Bill 5\u003c/a> became law, which makes it harder for companies to classify workers as contractors and avoid paying for things like workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance. But even with AB 5, Lyft and Uber have continued to classify their workers as contractors and avoid paying into the state’s unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates worry that if drivers opt for PUA, which is a more straightforward process than getting UI, it will lend credence to the argument Uber and Lyft are making that their workers are indeed contractors, not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers are stuck in the middle of it all. It has been two months already with little to no work — and there’s no prospect of that changing anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Caught in the Middle\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Maia Wagle, a Los Angeles-based Lyft driver, has been trying to get unemployment insurance since early March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has filled out numerous online forms, sent in documents and called the agency multiple times a day. Late last week, she finally got a hold of someone at California’s Employment Development Department (EDD).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘What am I going to do? I have to pay rent. I have to pay bills. I am just swimming here. So I am just going to take the bone that I am thrown. ‘",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle said the woman on the phone, after looking at her application, said, “Oh well you should just do PUA, it will be faster.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle disagreed. “I said, ‘No, like, I really do qualify for unemployment insurance under AB 5,’ ” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle went back and forth with the woman on the phone. “Then finally she says, ‘Listen, you want my advice, just apply for the PUA. It’s going to take time. What are you going to do? Are you going to get a lawyer, try to like fight your case for you?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are numerous reasons drivers like Wagle want state unemployment insurance instead of PUA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, it’s almost certainly more money. UI is awarded based on gross income, how much total income you bring in before expenses. PUA is calculated on net earnings, what you earn after all expenses are deducted. In both case, higher earnings equal more benefits. Drivers have tons of expenses — gas, wear and tear on their car, phone bills — meaning their gross is much higher than their net earnings, which means they would earn more money through UI instead of PUA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, there’s concern over how long the PUA funding will last compared to UI benefits. Both are set at 39 weeks right now, but it would be up to the federal government to extend PUA and up to California to extend UI. Drivers worry that if the pandemic continues, the federal government will be less likely than California to extend the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a question of who pays for the benefits. UI is covered in part by employers, and PUA money is coming from the federal government. Wagel considers herself a Lyft employee, so she says it is only fair that her employer pays some of the cost instead of federal tax payers. Since Lyft and Uber haven’t paid into the unemployment fund yet, the state would cover the costs, but it would be known that the companies owe California that money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For these reasons, Wagel has been resisting the temptation of applying for PUA and fighting to get UI. But it’s been a hard fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wagle desperately needs the money. She’s been without work for almost two months. And after all this time fighting to get UI, she’s worn down. The phone call with the woman at the EDD was the last straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just caved,” Wagle said. “As soon as I got off the phone with her I was like, aw fuck it. I am just going to go apply for this PUA. What am I going to do? I have to pay rent. I have to pay bills. I am just swimming here. So I am just going to take the bone that I am thrown. It’s still not right. It’s not right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Persistence and Luck\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While Wagle finally settled for PUA, other drivers have actually gotten through and received UI. It has taken a lot of persistence, and what some drivers say feels like luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To get UI, a driver has to apply, get told they qualify for zero dollars because their employer did not report earnings or contribute to the fund, then appeal that finding, and finally go through an audit where they have to prove to a representative of the EDD how much they earned and that they should be classified as an employee, not a contractor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Numerous drivers have posted on social media about getting UI. KQED spoke with one driver in Daly City who had gone through this whole process and who doesn’t want to use his name for fear of Uber kicking him off the app. He says his trick was not waiting for any kind of confirmation from the EDD, but instead filling out the online form and then sending a package with all of his documentation by certified mail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sent that package a month ago and then he says he just waited and prayed. Then, last week, he got a call from an EDD auditor. She asked him a few questions, and then said he was approved. He was watching online as fellow drivers were filling out online forms, being put on hold for hours when they called and getting nowhere. He said it seemed like a miracle that his claim went through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver in Daly City says he is getting the max in state benefits: $450 a week. He is so happy to have finally gotten some income. He has a family of five to support. But he didn’t want to give up and settle for PUA instead of UI because he didn’t want federal taxpayers to contribute to his unemployment when Uber and Lyft weren’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the AB 5, we’re entitled to get the normal UI with the corporations of Uber-Lyft helping,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Conflicting Advice\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A number of drivers KQED spoke with complained about getting conflicting information from the EDD, either by phone or on the website, about what to apply for and how. The EDD did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carole Vigne is a senior staff attorney at Legal Aid at Work, a nonprofit that is helping drivers get UI. She says it is disappointing that a EDD representative would tell a driver to apply for PUA instead of UI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under California law,” she said, “misclassified independent contractors or gig workers all should be on unemployment insurance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vigne said while it is right for drivers to apply for UI, the state is losing money by covering Uber and Lyft’s bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Eventually when this calms down,” Vigne said, “we anticipate that the state will go after these companies who haven’t paid into the fund, who haven’t been reporting earnings on behalf of workers so that the fund could be paid back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Years of Legal Battle\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the pandemic hit, Uber and Lyft had already been battling for years to continue classifying their workers as contractors. The companies had used the arbitration clauses in their contracts to settle countless legal disputes with workers over classification individually and behind closed doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2018, the California Supreme Court issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11718822/tech-labor-and-newsom-search-for-common-ground-on-the-future-of-gig-workers\">a landmark ruling\u003c/a> that made it much harder for companies to classify their workers as contractors. The state Legislature codified that ruling into law with AB 5. The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, has repeatedly said gig companies classifying workers as contractors is exactly the kind of labor arrangements the law was designed to stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When AB 5 passed on Jan. 1, many drivers thought they would finally become employees and get protections like workers compensation, guaranteed minimum wage and unemployment insurance. But instead, Uber, Lyft and other gig companies continued doing business as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, as soon as AB 5 garnered enough votes to pass, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/retail/story/2019-09-13/instacart-not-uber-is-first-target-in-san-diego-gig-economy-lawsuit\">the city attorney in San Diego filed a lawsuit against Instacart\u003c/a>, but that case is still snarled in the legal system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, has been far more reticent. He has not publicly stated intent to pursue the gig companies on AB 5, and there has been no indication from Newsom’s office if he backs such a move. Newsom’s office did not provide a comment by the time of publication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When AB 5 became law, gig companies braced for enforcement. In early February, a source inside Lyft told KQED in a conversation on background information for another story that they were surprised the state had not already come after them over AB 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the gig companies have been collaborating to nullify the new law and continue classifying their workers as contractors. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Uber-Lyft-DoorDash-campaign-for-ballot-15090479.php\">Several companies, including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, have poured $110 million\u003c/a> into a ballot initiative that would exempt them from AB 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was where everything stood in late February. Then the pandemic hit and brought on the scenario that labor advocates have been warning about for years: Business has plummeted. The hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in the state now have extremely limited or no work, and there’s no money for them in the state unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Appealing Case\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Every Lyft and Uber driver I have interviewed since January has asked me the same thing: If AB 5 is law, then why I am not an employee? And then the follow-up question is: Why hasn’t California started going after gig companies to sort this all out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Levine, a professor of law at UC Hastings, if you set aside issues about politics and power, there are two big legal reasons why the state may have been hesitant to go after Uber and Lyft. The first has to do with precedent and the second is legal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine says there is a danger in the state attorney general or a local district attorney moving too fast and blowing the case. “If you are going to go up against companies this large, you have to do it the right way,” Levine said. “You don’t want a bad precedent because the litigation wasn’t handled correctly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gets to the second point: power. Levine said these companies are so large that they could intimidate anyone who is trying to take them to court. Uber and Lyft have billions of dollars in cash reserves to pay for legal fees. The companies could “unleash their assault troops of lawyers” and bury a state or local agency in paper, Levine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that should not be a reason to hold back, Levine said. “The state’s AG has resources to do this,” he said, adding that government entities are often underfunded when it comes to battles with large corporations. “There’s nothing different here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the pandemic could make organizing a big case difficult, Levine said the fact that California is directly paying unemployment for Uber and Lyft is incentivizing the state to sort this out. It also, he said, gives the state “a very appealing way” to frame the case: Why is California shelling out money to pay for drivers who are out of work, while Lyft and Uber haven’t paid a dime into the unemployment fund?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the state doesn’t go after Uber and Lyft, it could be on the hook for a lot of money — money it doesn’t have, as California has already started borrowing money from the federal government to pay unemployment. It is approved to draw from the federal government as much as $10 billion by the end of July.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Uber and Lyft Aren’t Paying for Drivers’ Unemployment: You Are, Confirms Newsom",
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"headTitle": "Uber and Lyft Aren’t Paying for Drivers’ Unemployment: You Are, Confirms Newsom | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Employment Development Department are giving Uber, Lyft and other gig companies what they hoped for: unemployment coverage for drivers paid by federal taxpayers through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, instead of state unemployment funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the coronavirus hit, there has been mass confusion over how Lyft and Uber drivers, as well as other gig workers, might qualify for unemployment benefits — who should pay, and how they should file.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julie Su, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, released a statement on April 14 saying that the department was creating a new website for independent contractors to apply for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance (PUA). According to Su, the website is scheduled to open in two weeks and deliver PUA benefits in 24 to 48 hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release on April 15, Newsom mentioned the new website for contractors and gig workers. He said, “Many Californians are one paycheck away from losing their homes or from being able to put food on their tables, and COVID-19 has only made these challenges worse. California is focused on getting relief dollars and unemployment assistance in the hands of those who need it as quickly as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s decision to turn to federal PUA for California’s hundreds of thousands of gig workers means that these drivers will have assistance in the short-term as soon as the website is up. But it also means that the assistance will come from taxpayers instead of gig companies. And it could have implications for the future of gig workers in the Golden State and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Contractors vs Employees\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and other gig companies have consistently, and controversially, classified their drivers as contractors. By doing so, companies have avoided paying into the state unemployment fund. If a company does not contribute to unemployment insurance, there is no money when an employee files a claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill 5 became law last January and made it much harder for gig companies to argue workers are contractors and not employees. Still, despite the new law, companies like Uber and Lyft have continued to classify workers as contractors, which has put them in a difficult spot during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As business has ground to a halt, drivers have turned to unemployment offices for help. But because their companies have not paid into the state unemployment insurance funds, drivers have been told they qualify for no money in unemployment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More Coronavirus Coverage\" tag=\"coronavirus\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and other gig companies succeeded in getting the federal government to make its drivers eligible for PUA through the CARES Act. But, to get this money, the drivers have to be recognized as contractors, not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That puts states like California, where there is a legal battle for drivers to be recognized as employees, in a difficult situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the beginning of the pandemic, the EDD, the department that disburses unemployment insurance, has encouraged anyone who believes they are misclassified as contractors to apply as employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, gig workers are being encouraged by the EDD and Newsom to go to a new website that will be up in two weeks to apply for aid as contractors. That means they are going to be receiving money from federal taxpayers instead of the state unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates have said turning to federal taxpayers is the result of the state failing to hold companies accountable for years over the question of employee classification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the California Labor Federation said, “Gov. Newsom took action today to free up federal relief dollars for gig workers while asserting their rights as employees under California law, but it should never have come to this. All taxpayers are now on the hook as a result of these wealthy companies’ refusal to follow the law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Smith, a representative for California Labor Federation, said he hopes the state can take legal action to recover the money Uber and Lyft should have been paying into unemployment funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These companies are on the hook for unemployment insurance and paying back taxes. Nothing about that has changed,” Smith said. “We’re going to continue asking the state to aggressively pursue those back taxes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Uber Lobby: Pressing for Contractor Status\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber has been pressuring the EDD and the governor to stop telling gig workers to apply for unemployment as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Uber sent the governor’s office an email asking Newsom to alter how the state was considering drivers. It requested that the governor ask the EDD to change the language on their website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED acquired a copy of that email. It says, in bold:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Specifically, we ask that EDD remove the sentence ‘If you are a gig worker, you should list your gig employer as your last employer’ from its website. The EDD guidance that directs applicants to ‘list your gig employer as your last employer’ should be removed from the EDD website, and we ask that you work with EDD to do so immediately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber confirmed that it sent the email and plans to follow up with a formal letter. It also said, “Refusing to take advantage of the federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance included in the Congressional Relief Package is not in the financial interest of drivers and delivery people, or the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EDD has not altered its website. But with the announcement of the new website for gig workers to apply for federal aid as contractors, the battle appears to have already been won in favor of Uber and other gig companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Paying Back Unemployment in Other States\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Last year, the state of New Jersey sent Uber a bill for $650 million in unpaid unemployment insurance for its drivers. Given the number of drivers in California, the amount to cover unemployment payments would likely be in the billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" tag=\"gig-workers\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Hastings law professor Veena Dubal says not only may California not recover all the money that taxpayers are fronting right now to pay insurance, but this decision could influence how gig workers are treated in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dubal recently sent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nelp.org/wp-content/uploads/Open-Letter-State-UI-Agencies-Uber-Lyft-Drivers-v2.pdf\">a letter to state unemployment insurance agencies across the country\u003c/a>, warning that categorizing drivers as contractors to get the federal PUA money was a coup for gig companies as it established a dangerous example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m worried it sets a cultural practice for state agencies to start thinking of these workers as contractors and rejecting unemployment insurance claims in the future,” Dubal said, “when really these workers are employees who should always be entitled to unemployment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While individual drivers are scrambling to make ends meet, Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has said that the company has plenty of cash to make it through the coronavirus outbreak. In March, Khosrowshahi said the company had $10 billion in unrestricted cash to weather the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Living Paycheck to Paycheck\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While Uber may be able to ride out the pandemic, many drivers, like Kris John, won’t be able to make it very long without a source of income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John has been without work for over a month. He filed for unemployment in early March. He says he was awarded zero dollars in unemployment. He says he feels like he’s called EDD offices over a thousand times, trying to get someone on the phone to help him sort this all out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legal Aid at Work, a non-profit legal services organization, suggests that drivers like John who have been denied unemployment or told they will get zero dollars, should appeal. \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/How-To_Wages-UI_Legal-Aid_2020-04-20.pdf\">They have posted instructions on how to do so online here.\u003c/a> The organization has also created\u003ca href=\"https://form.jotform.com/200797704844160\"> this form where drivers can request additional help\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John can’t understand why state agencies weren’t more prepared, especially because AB 5 has been law for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really baffled that no one in the state of California for one second thought drivers might lose their jobs and have to file for unemployment,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John said California has already taken far too long getting money to gig workers like him. While he needs the money, he doesn’t think it’s fair for it to come from taxpayers instead of companies that have billions of dollars in cash reserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"headline": "Uber and Lyft Aren’t Paying for Drivers’ Unemployment: You Are, Confirms Newsom",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Employment Development Department are giving Uber, Lyft and other gig companies what they hoped for: unemployment coverage for drivers paid by federal taxpayers through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, instead of state unemployment funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the coronavirus hit, there has been mass confusion over how Lyft and Uber drivers, as well as other gig workers, might qualify for unemployment benefits — who should pay, and how they should file.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julie Su, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, released a statement on April 14 saying that the department was creating a new website for independent contractors to apply for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance (PUA). According to Su, the website is scheduled to open in two weeks and deliver PUA benefits in 24 to 48 hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release on April 15, Newsom mentioned the new website for contractors and gig workers. He said, “Many Californians are one paycheck away from losing their homes or from being able to put food on their tables, and COVID-19 has only made these challenges worse. California is focused on getting relief dollars and unemployment assistance in the hands of those who need it as quickly as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s decision to turn to federal PUA for California’s hundreds of thousands of gig workers means that these drivers will have assistance in the short-term as soon as the website is up. But it also means that the assistance will come from taxpayers instead of gig companies. And it could have implications for the future of gig workers in the Golden State and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Contractors vs Employees\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and other gig companies have consistently, and controversially, classified their drivers as contractors. By doing so, companies have avoided paying into the state unemployment fund. If a company does not contribute to unemployment insurance, there is no money when an employee files a claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill 5 became law last January and made it much harder for gig companies to argue workers are contractors and not employees. Still, despite the new law, companies like Uber and Lyft have continued to classify workers as contractors, which has put them in a difficult spot during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As business has ground to a halt, drivers have turned to unemployment offices for help. But because their companies have not paid into the state unemployment insurance funds, drivers have been told they qualify for no money in unemployment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and other gig companies succeeded in getting the federal government to make its drivers eligible for PUA through the CARES Act. But, to get this money, the drivers have to be recognized as contractors, not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That puts states like California, where there is a legal battle for drivers to be recognized as employees, in a difficult situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the beginning of the pandemic, the EDD, the department that disburses unemployment insurance, has encouraged anyone who believes they are misclassified as contractors to apply as employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, gig workers are being encouraged by the EDD and Newsom to go to a new website that will be up in two weeks to apply for aid as contractors. That means they are going to be receiving money from federal taxpayers instead of the state unemployment fund.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates have said turning to federal taxpayers is the result of the state failing to hold companies accountable for years over the question of employee classification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the California Labor Federation said, “Gov. Newsom took action today to free up federal relief dollars for gig workers while asserting their rights as employees under California law, but it should never have come to this. All taxpayers are now on the hook as a result of these wealthy companies’ refusal to follow the law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Smith, a representative for California Labor Federation, said he hopes the state can take legal action to recover the money Uber and Lyft should have been paying into unemployment funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These companies are on the hook for unemployment insurance and paying back taxes. Nothing about that has changed,” Smith said. “We’re going to continue asking the state to aggressively pursue those back taxes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Uber Lobby: Pressing for Contractor Status\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Uber has been pressuring the EDD and the governor to stop telling gig workers to apply for unemployment as contractors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Uber sent the governor’s office an email asking Newsom to alter how the state was considering drivers. It requested that the governor ask the EDD to change the language on their website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED acquired a copy of that email. It says, in bold:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Specifically, we ask that EDD remove the sentence ‘If you are a gig worker, you should list your gig employer as your last employer’ from its website. The EDD guidance that directs applicants to ‘list your gig employer as your last employer’ should be removed from the EDD website, and we ask that you work with EDD to do so immediately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber confirmed that it sent the email and plans to follow up with a formal letter. It also said, “Refusing to take advantage of the federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance included in the Congressional Relief Package is not in the financial interest of drivers and delivery people, or the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EDD has not altered its website. But with the announcement of the new website for gig workers to apply for federal aid as contractors, the battle appears to have already been won in favor of Uber and other gig companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Paying Back Unemployment in Other States\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Last year, the state of New Jersey sent Uber a bill for $650 million in unpaid unemployment insurance for its drivers. Given the number of drivers in California, the amount to cover unemployment payments would likely be in the billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Hastings law professor Veena Dubal says not only may California not recover all the money that taxpayers are fronting right now to pay insurance, but this decision could influence how gig workers are treated in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dubal recently sent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nelp.org/wp-content/uploads/Open-Letter-State-UI-Agencies-Uber-Lyft-Drivers-v2.pdf\">a letter to state unemployment insurance agencies across the country\u003c/a>, warning that categorizing drivers as contractors to get the federal PUA money was a coup for gig companies as it established a dangerous example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m worried it sets a cultural practice for state agencies to start thinking of these workers as contractors and rejecting unemployment insurance claims in the future,” Dubal said, “when really these workers are employees who should always be entitled to unemployment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While individual drivers are scrambling to make ends meet, Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has said that the company has plenty of cash to make it through the coronavirus outbreak. In March, Khosrowshahi said the company had $10 billion in unrestricted cash to weather the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Living Paycheck to Paycheck\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While Uber may be able to ride out the pandemic, many drivers, like Kris John, won’t be able to make it very long without a source of income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John has been without work for over a month. He filed for unemployment in early March. He says he was awarded zero dollars in unemployment. He says he feels like he’s called EDD offices over a thousand times, trying to get someone on the phone to help him sort this all out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legal Aid at Work, a non-profit legal services organization, suggests that drivers like John who have been denied unemployment or told they will get zero dollars, should appeal. \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/How-To_Wages-UI_Legal-Aid_2020-04-20.pdf\">They have posted instructions on how to do so online here.\u003c/a> The organization has also created\u003ca href=\"https://form.jotform.com/200797704844160\"> this form where drivers can request additional help\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John can’t understand why state agencies weren’t more prepared, especially because AB 5 has been law for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really baffled that no one in the state of California for one second thought drivers might lose their jobs and have to file for unemployment,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John said California has already taken far too long getting money to gig workers like him. While he needs the money, he doesn’t think it’s fair for it to come from taxpayers instead of companies that have billions of dollars in cash reserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "S.F. Janitors Protest Cuts to Work Hours During Coronavirus Shelter-in-Place",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated April 7.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scores of janitors rallied in San Francisco Monday to protest abrupt cutbacks in their hours cleaning Lyft’s corporate headquarters during the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citing the importance of their jobs — to clean and disinfect during the current public health crisis — the group blocked off Berry Street in front of Lyft’s headquarters and waved signs reading, “Essential does not equal exploited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11806988/sheltering-in-place-what-you-need-to-know\">state’s shelter-in-place orders,\u003c/a> janitorial workers are classified as essential in many situations. At the same time, businesses considered non-essential have had to shut down, while many that remain open have had to scale back on operations and staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810967\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810967\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt='A protester holds a sign that reads, \"Justice for Janitors!\" outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester holds a sign that reads, \"Justice for Janitors!\" outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, 63 janitors who work for Service By Medallion, the janitorial employer that contracts with Lyft, were informed via text messages that they would only get two days of work per month in the coming months, said Victoria Ramirez, a representative with the union SEIU Local 87.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What could you do with two days a month? You have rent, you have bills,” said Ramirez, whose union represents janitors throughout San Francisco. “Just because they gave us an extension to pay rent doesn't mean that we're not going to pay any rent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810963\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810963\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Janitors protest while maintaining a safe distance from one another outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janitors protest while maintaining a safe distance from one another outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We need food on our tables for our families,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service By Medallion declined to comment, saying that they are still in negotiations with their staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an official statement, Lyft said it supports the janitors and is committed to keeping as many people working as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These are unprecedented times for everyone and in addition to supporting our local janitors, we are also working to support and subsidize the two million drivers on the platform who are also struggling and are the lifeblood of the company,\" Lyft said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Monday’s rally, janitors and their supporters wore face masks and gloves and stood at least six-feet apart to observe social distancing guidelines. Many held signs reading, “They get a bail out, we get robbed,” referring to provisions in the recently enacted federal stimulus bill to support businesses and their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11811003\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11811003\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"SEIU President Olga Miranda speaks at a protest outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SEIU President Olga Miranda speaks at a protest outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our janitors, who are considered essential, are being left out in the cold,” said SEIU President Olga Miranda to the assembled crowd. “COVID-19 doesn’t understand that families have to pay the rent on the first of the month. COVID-19 doesn’t understand that I still have to feed my baby. … If I’m an essential worker and our janitors are essential workers, treat us as such.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810962\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810962\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Madi Deonah, a janitor at 130 Kearny Street in San Francisco, protests alongside fellow janitors outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Madi Deonah, a janitor at 130 Kearny Street in San Francisco, protests alongside fellow janitors outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the weekend, the union announced that it had made temporary progress in negotiations for another group of janitors: Able Building Maintenance. The cleaning contractor for the Embarcadero Center, agreed to pay its workers to stay home for a week while negotiations continue, said T. Gray Albert, a spokesperson for SEIU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Sara Hossaini contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include an official statement from Lyft.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated April 7.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scores of janitors rallied in San Francisco Monday to protest abrupt cutbacks in their hours cleaning Lyft’s corporate headquarters during the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citing the importance of their jobs — to clean and disinfect during the current public health crisis — the group blocked off Berry Street in front of Lyft’s headquarters and waved signs reading, “Essential does not equal exploited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11806988/sheltering-in-place-what-you-need-to-know\">state’s shelter-in-place orders,\u003c/a> janitorial workers are classified as essential in many situations. At the same time, businesses considered non-essential have had to shut down, while many that remain open have had to scale back on operations and staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810967\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810967\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt='A protester holds a sign that reads, \"Justice for Janitors!\" outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/014_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester holds a sign that reads, \"Justice for Janitors!\" outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, 63 janitors who work for Service By Medallion, the janitorial employer that contracts with Lyft, were informed via text messages that they would only get two days of work per month in the coming months, said Victoria Ramirez, a representative with the union SEIU Local 87.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What could you do with two days a month? You have rent, you have bills,” said Ramirez, whose union represents janitors throughout San Francisco. “Just because they gave us an extension to pay rent doesn't mean that we're not going to pay any rent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810963\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810963\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Janitors protest while maintaining a safe distance from one another outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/009_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janitors protest while maintaining a safe distance from one another outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We need food on our tables for our families,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service By Medallion declined to comment, saying that they are still in negotiations with their staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an official statement, Lyft said it supports the janitors and is committed to keeping as many people working as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These are unprecedented times for everyone and in addition to supporting our local janitors, we are also working to support and subsidize the two million drivers on the platform who are also struggling and are the lifeblood of the company,\" Lyft said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Monday’s rally, janitors and their supporters wore face masks and gloves and stood at least six-feet apart to observe social distancing guidelines. Many held signs reading, “They get a bail out, we get robbed,” referring to provisions in the recently enacted federal stimulus bill to support businesses and their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11811003\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11811003\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"SEIU President Olga Miranda speaks at a protest outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/019_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SEIU President Olga Miranda speaks at a protest outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our janitors, who are considered essential, are being left out in the cold,” said SEIU President Olga Miranda to the assembled crowd. “COVID-19 doesn’t understand that families have to pay the rent on the first of the month. COVID-19 doesn’t understand that I still have to feed my baby. … If I’m an essential worker and our janitors are essential workers, treat us as such.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11810962\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11810962\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Madi Deonah, a janitor at 130 Kearny Street in San Francisco, protests alongside fellow janitors outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/007_KQED_SanFrancisco_JanitorProtest_04062020.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Madi Deonah, a janitor at 130 Kearny Street in San Francisco, protests alongside fellow janitors outside of Lyft headquarters on April 6, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the weekend, the union announced that it had made temporary progress in negotiations for another group of janitors: Able Building Maintenance. The cleaning contractor for the Embarcadero Center, agreed to pay its workers to stay home for a week while negotiations continue, said T. Gray Albert, a spokesperson for SEIU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Sara Hossaini contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include an official statement from Lyft.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Recently, business has been exceptionally slow for Erica Mighetto, who drives for Uber and Lyft in San Francisco. Even so, she’s still out there looking for passengers, and has taken steps to prepare for whatever rides do come along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she stops to pick me up in Glen Park earlier this week, Mighetto immediately rolls down the window before I get into her car and asks if I want her to put on a surgical mask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto’s car is immaculate. There’s a lingering whiff of bleach from the disinfectant she has been religiously rubbing on the surfaces between passengers. Up front, behind the gear shift, she has a stack of pink surgical masks, which she said she received from a doctor at a hospital, who suggested she hand them out to any coughing passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late last week, she received messages from both Lyft and Uber telling her to keep her car clean and to stock up on hand sanitizer, which she found most stores had sold out of. A few days later, Lyft said it was providing sanitizer to drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806430\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806430\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ride-hail driver Erica Mighetto disinfects the door handles of her car between rides. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The hospital doctor Mighetto consulted with said she should use a mask as well, but she remains hesitant to wear one when picking up passengers, concerned it will freak them out. Everyone is already on edge, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto is scared, too. She doesn’t want to be on the road driving, which she thinks could be particularly dangerous for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia,” she tells me. “Ten years ago I had surgery, and I haven’t been monitored since then. I don’t have a primary care practitioner or a cardiologist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really nerve-wracking to be out here driving people around,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But coronavirus fears aside, Mighetto has little choice but to continue driving this month; she needs the money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Erica Mighetto, ride-hail driver\"]‘I just have no choice whatsoever. I am running myself into financial despair.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now in her late 30s, Mighetto used to work as an accountant in Sacramento. Driving for a ride-hailing service was never part of her game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto hasn’t had a steady job since working at a property management firm three years ago. She says it started as a bookkeeping gig, but increasingly involved hounding tenants for money and issuing eviction notices. She started feeling sick about the work and eventually quit, she says, and took up driving for Lyft while looking for something more permanent. She never imagined she’d be working behind the wheel for this long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four months ago, Mighetto says her landlord kicked out all the tenants in her apartment building, offering a small buyout. Since then, she’s been staying on friends’ couches and renting rooms in hostels while searching for a permanent residence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Mighetto is driving as many hours as she can with the hope of scraping together enough money for a new apartment. But it’s an uphill battle. Between her car payments and credit cards, she is $18,000 in debt. Sometimes, to save money after a night shift, she folds down her backseat, pulls out a pillow she keeps tucked in the spare tire cavity and sleeps in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not the life Mighetto envisioned when she left her last job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806429\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806429\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erica Mighetto on the job in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You just get sucked into it,” she says. “The bills stack up and the credit card debt mounts and you have to get that clutch and you have to get that battery and you go from a paycheck-to-paycheck basis to a cash-out-to-cash-out basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto says she has an automatic phone payment coming up in two days that she currently doesn’t have enough money to cover, and she just received an email from her credit card company about an outstanding bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just have no choice whatsoever. I am running myself into financial despair,” she says, noting that the coronavirus has only made the situation tougher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"coronavirus\"]Earlier this week, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/09/uber-lyft-to-offer-paid-sick-leave-to-any-coronavirus-infected-driver/\">both announced\u003c/a> plans to provide up to 14 days of sick leave for their drivers, but only if they’ve been “diagnosed with the coronavirus” or have been ordered to self-quarantine. Neither company has stated how much drivers can get compensated. And because both companies are continuing to classify their drivers as contractors, none are guaranteed minimum wage, regardless of drops in ridership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are as many as 2.5 million Lyft and Uber drivers in the U.S., most of whom do not receive any paid time off. But this predicament is certainly not unique to gig workers, says Elise Gould, an economist with the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, pointing to wider economic trends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. is one of the only industrialized countries in the world that doesn’t require paid sick leave (South Korea is the other), and a huge contingent of U.S. workers don’t have adequate access to paid time off or the capability to work from home, Gould says. The less workers make, she notes, the greater the chance they lack these benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To drive her point home, Gould points to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/work-sick-or-lose-pay-the-high-cost-of-being-sick-when-you-dont-get-paid-sick-days/\">several data sets\u003c/a> based on figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that about 30% of all private sector workers in the U.S. have no access to paid sick days and only about 4% of workers have access to more than 14 paid sick days. Meanwhile, almost everyone in the top 10% has access to paid time off, while less than a third of the bottom 10% do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you are thinking about the workers who are living paycheck-to-paycheck,” Gould says, “those are the ones least likely to work from home or have those paid sick days.” When a pandemic hits and consumption slows down, these workers are on the front lines of the economic shockwave, she notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coronavirus is exposing this disparity of privilege between workers across the country, and the contrast is particularly stark in the Bay Area. Companies like Google and Facebook have told their office employees to work for home or take paid time off if they’re feeling sick. Lyft told its office employees to do the same. But if its drivers want to make money, they have no choice but to go out on the road whether or not they are afraid of getting sick or think they may be already.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And like many service workers without access to paid leave, gig drivers often go to work sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806431\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806431\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lyft driver Edan Alva in Alameda on March 10, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just over a month ago, Uber driver Edan Alva was exhibiting flu-like symptoms. And while he tried to “power through” at first, he says he eventually had to take time off, unpaid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I stayed at home for nearly a week to recover,” Alva says, “which put me financially into a very bad situation.” He says he doesn’t need the coronavirus to underscore how precarious his financial situation is without paid time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is just one more illustration of why drivers should organize and unionize and directly negotiate with Lyft,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lyft and Uber recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/us/en/coronavirus/?_ga=2.36026087.699844506.1584045286-297668926.1584045286#drivers\">posted details\u003c/a> on their ongoing response to the coronavirus outbreak. Uber says it has already helped drivers in affected areas with its drivers fund, although it does not provide details on how many it’s supporting, or how much compensation they’ve received.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Erica Mighetto worries she’s going to run out of options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people ask how you’re doing it always makes me cry because I appreciate the concern,” she says. “It’s lonely and it’s terrible and I made a promise to myself to at least acknowledge the people on the side of the road asking for money because I’m scared I could be that person.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Recently, business has been exceptionally slow for Erica Mighetto, who drives for Uber and Lyft in San Francisco. Even so, she’s still out there looking for passengers, and has taken steps to prepare for whatever rides do come along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she stops to pick me up in Glen Park earlier this week, Mighetto immediately rolls down the window before I get into her car and asks if I want her to put on a surgical mask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto’s car is immaculate. There’s a lingering whiff of bleach from the disinfectant she has been religiously rubbing on the surfaces between passengers. Up front, behind the gear shift, she has a stack of pink surgical masks, which she said she received from a doctor at a hospital, who suggested she hand them out to any coughing passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late last week, she received messages from both Lyft and Uber telling her to keep her car clean and to stock up on hand sanitizer, which she found most stores had sold out of. A few days later, Lyft said it was providing sanitizer to drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806430\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806430\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41943_006_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_6658-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ride-hail driver Erica Mighetto disinfects the door handles of her car between rides. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The hospital doctor Mighetto consulted with said she should use a mask as well, but she remains hesitant to wear one when picking up passengers, concerned it will freak them out. Everyone is already on edge, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto is scared, too. She doesn’t want to be on the road driving, which she thinks could be particularly dangerous for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia,” she tells me. “Ten years ago I had surgery, and I haven’t been monitored since then. I don’t have a primary care practitioner or a cardiologist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really nerve-wracking to be out here driving people around,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But coronavirus fears aside, Mighetto has little choice but to continue driving this month; she needs the money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now in her late 30s, Mighetto used to work as an accountant in Sacramento. Driving for a ride-hailing service was never part of her game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto hasn’t had a steady job since working at a property management firm three years ago. She says it started as a bookkeeping gig, but increasingly involved hounding tenants for money and issuing eviction notices. She started feeling sick about the work and eventually quit, she says, and took up driving for Lyft while looking for something more permanent. She never imagined she’d be working behind the wheel for this long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four months ago, Mighetto says her landlord kicked out all the tenants in her apartment building, offering a small buyout. Since then, she’s been staying on friends’ couches and renting rooms in hostels while searching for a permanent residence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Mighetto is driving as many hours as she can with the hope of scraping together enough money for a new apartment. But it’s an uphill battle. Between her car payments and credit cards, she is $18,000 in debt. Sometimes, to save money after a night shift, she folds down her backseat, pulls out a pillow she keeps tucked in the spare tire cavity and sleeps in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not the life Mighetto envisioned when she left her last job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806429\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806429\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41942_005_KQED_Oakland_RideHail_03102020_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erica Mighetto on the job in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You just get sucked into it,” she says. “The bills stack up and the credit card debt mounts and you have to get that clutch and you have to get that battery and you go from a paycheck-to-paycheck basis to a cash-out-to-cash-out basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mighetto says she has an automatic phone payment coming up in two days that she currently doesn’t have enough money to cover, and she just received an email from her credit card company about an outstanding bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just have no choice whatsoever. I am running myself into financial despair,” she says, noting that the coronavirus has only made the situation tougher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Earlier this week, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/09/uber-lyft-to-offer-paid-sick-leave-to-any-coronavirus-infected-driver/\">both announced\u003c/a> plans to provide up to 14 days of sick leave for their drivers, but only if they’ve been “diagnosed with the coronavirus” or have been ordered to self-quarantine. Neither company has stated how much drivers can get compensated. And because both companies are continuing to classify their drivers as contractors, none are guaranteed minimum wage, regardless of drops in ridership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are as many as 2.5 million Lyft and Uber drivers in the U.S., most of whom do not receive any paid time off. But this predicament is certainly not unique to gig workers, says Elise Gould, an economist with the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, pointing to wider economic trends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. is one of the only industrialized countries in the world that doesn’t require paid sick leave (South Korea is the other), and a huge contingent of U.S. workers don’t have adequate access to paid time off or the capability to work from home, Gould says. The less workers make, she notes, the greater the chance they lack these benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To drive her point home, Gould points to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/work-sick-or-lose-pay-the-high-cost-of-being-sick-when-you-dont-get-paid-sick-days/\">several data sets\u003c/a> based on figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that about 30% of all private sector workers in the U.S. have no access to paid sick days and only about 4% of workers have access to more than 14 paid sick days. Meanwhile, almost everyone in the top 10% has access to paid time off, while less than a third of the bottom 10% do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you are thinking about the workers who are living paycheck-to-paycheck,” Gould says, “those are the ones least likely to work from home or have those paid sick days.” When a pandemic hits and consumption slows down, these workers are on the front lines of the economic shockwave, she notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coronavirus is exposing this disparity of privilege between workers across the country, and the contrast is particularly stark in the Bay Area. Companies like Google and Facebook have told their office employees to work for home or take paid time off if they’re feeling sick. Lyft told its office employees to do the same. But if its drivers want to make money, they have no choice but to go out on the road whether or not they are afraid of getting sick or think they may be already.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And like many service workers without access to paid leave, gig drivers often go to work sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11806431\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11806431\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/03/RS41936_006_KQED_Alameda_EdanAlva_03102020_-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lyft driver Edan Alva in Alameda on March 10, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just over a month ago, Uber driver Edan Alva was exhibiting flu-like symptoms. And while he tried to “power through” at first, he says he eventually had to take time off, unpaid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I stayed at home for nearly a week to recover,” Alva says, “which put me financially into a very bad situation.” He says he doesn’t need the coronavirus to underscore how precarious his financial situation is without paid time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is just one more illustration of why drivers should organize and unionize and directly negotiate with Lyft,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lyft and Uber recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/us/en/coronavirus/?_ga=2.36026087.699844506.1584045286-297668926.1584045286#drivers\">posted details\u003c/a> on their ongoing response to the coronavirus outbreak. Uber says it has already helped drivers in affected areas with its drivers fund, although it does not provide details on how many it’s supporting, or how much compensation they’ve received.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Erica Mighetto worries she’s going to run out of options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people ask how you’re doing it always makes me cry because I appreciate the concern,” she says. “It’s lonely and it’s terrible and I made a promise to myself to at least acknowledge the people on the side of the road asking for money because I’m scared I could be that person.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Some companies, including some of the biggest tech giants in the Bay Area, are encouraging or even requiring their office employees to work from home amid fears of the coronavirus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that’s not an option for Uber and Lyft drivers or food delivery workers, who don’t get health benefits from their jobs. And that means they have to make a tough choice: Stay home when they feel sick, or go out and earn their income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Guest:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/nitashatiku\">Nitasha Tiku\u003c/a>, San Francisco-based tech culture reporter for The Washington Post\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can read \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/nitasha-tiku/\">more of Nitasha’s reporting here.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>Every Tuesday at around 3 p.m., taxi drivers start filing into San Francisco City Hall. On a recent week in February, Matt Sutter is the first one to arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sutter is wearing track pants and a large, faded, gray T-shirt with a Chevy logo. He’s a core member of the Tuesday crew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This group of about 10 drivers has been coming to City Hall weekly for almost three years to speak in the public comment section of the Board of Supervisors meeting. They have one mission: to get the city to buy back their $250,000 taxi medallions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city started selling medallions to drivers back in 2010, around the same time as the appearance of Lyft and Uber. Now drivers are struggling to make minimum wage, let alone pay down the loans on their medallions. They’re being crushed by the debt. Some have even \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11798851/s-f-taxi-drivers-say-the-medallion-crisis-is-killing-them-literally\">died of stress-related illnesses\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803475\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bhupinder Singh, a taxi driver for the past 20 years, at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 6, 2020. He has driven from Chico to SFO for the past 8 years to find passengers. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 4 p.m., the drivers enter City Hall. They walk under the building’s large central dome, past couples taking wedding photographs and up the long flight of stairs. At the top, they peak into the Board of Supervisors room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s packed with people. That’s not good — a busy room means a long agenda, and that means drivers will wait hours for the public comment period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Matt Sutter, San Francisco taxi driver\"]‘I hope you make the right decision by giving us back our money. That’s hard-earned family money.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drivers finally get their chance to speak around 6:30 p.m. Each driver has just two minutes at the microphone to tell their story. One by one, they approach the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope you make the right decision by giving us back our money,” Sutter tells them. “That’s hard-earned family money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harjeet Gargaria, another driver, says, “I don’t know if it’s because I look different — I look black, brown or whatever — but no one want to help us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Namdev Sharma is next. He wears a neatly pressed shirt tucked into a pair of slacks. It’s the outfit he always wears on City Hall days. His English isn’t perfect, and he has a few pages of handwritten notes. He carefully puts them on the lectern. But once he starts, he doesn’t even look at them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You must not forget us,” he says. “It is unfair. You must think. You must heed our voice. You putted us to a dying situation. You have power to create destiny of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803474\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803474\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis fill the lower level of the short term parking garage as they wait to pick up passengers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Jan. 30, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s estimated that it would take the city $160 million to buy back the medallions. New York City is already beginning a debt relief program for its drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what could be done here in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, there’s the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The agency could potentially issue a bond to buy back the medallions. It has had the power to do so since voters approved Proposition A in 2007, but the SFMTA isn’t currently pursuing this route. If it did, it would need approval from the Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another option is for the supervisors to fund a buyback program from the city budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Dean Preston says something needs to be done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the city definitely owes a debt to the cab drivers who played by the rules for years, and then find themselves in financial dire straits through no fault of their own,” Preston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preston isn’t the first supervisor to speak up. For the last two years, Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer has argued that the whole medallion system is broken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a public meeting last June, Fewer said, “I personally don’t see any way out except to actually blow up the whole thing and redesign the whole thing over again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She thinks San Francisco should come up with money to help the drivers out. “I just think the burden these people are living under is incredible,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803471\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803471\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut.jpg\" alt=\"taxi driver\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxi driver Ali Alikhani at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 6, 2020. As of 11:45 a.m., he has only had one passenger since starting work at 7 a.m. that day. He said that being a taxi driver is not a healthy work situation — they often work over 12 hours. He said, “Workers in factories have protections for work conditions. Taxi drivers don’t have that. What kind of life is that? Is this America?” \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Seven supervisors told KQED they support the city looking into debt relief. They include Preston, Fewer, Matt Haney, Aaron Peskin, Hillary Ronen, Catherine Stefani and Shamann Walton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Gordon Mar are undecided. Ahsha Safai and Norman Yee did not respond. Neither did Mayor London Breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"taxi\" label=\"related coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco mayors have played a significant role in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11694401/san-francisco-made-millions-selling-taxi-medallions-now-drivers-are-paying-the-price\">medallion debt crisis\u003c/a>. In 2010, then-mayor Gavin Newsom directed the SFMTA to start selling the medallions. Then, Mayor Ed Lee abdicated responsibility for regulating Uber and Lyft to the state. Now, seven hundred drivers, mostly immigrants of color, are being crushed in an unlevel playing field, and Breed has been silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breed has not responded to repeated requests from KQED for comment on this issue. These requests date back to when she first arrived in office in 2018. For this story, her press office said, “Due to Mayor Breed’s busy schedule, she does not have a statement on this matter at this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Board of Supervisors meeting is finally over at nearly 7 p.m., it has gotten dark and cold outside. Some of the drivers have long night shifts ahead of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Matt Sutter says he doesn’t know if what the drivers said at this particular meeting is going to have an impact, but he says at least they can leave knowing that they went in and tried to do something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If nothing changes, he says, they’ll be back next week. He asks, “What other option do we have?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "SF Taxi Drivers Who Go Every Week to City Hall: 'Buy Back Our Medallions' | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every Tuesday at around 3 p.m., taxi drivers start filing into San Francisco City Hall. On a recent week in February, Matt Sutter is the first one to arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sutter is wearing track pants and a large, faded, gray T-shirt with a Chevy logo. He’s a core member of the Tuesday crew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This group of about 10 drivers has been coming to City Hall weekly for almost three years to speak in the public comment section of the Board of Supervisors meeting. They have one mission: to get the city to buy back their $250,000 taxi medallions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city started selling medallions to drivers back in 2010, around the same time as the appearance of Lyft and Uber. Now drivers are struggling to make minimum wage, let alone pay down the loans on their medallions. They’re being crushed by the debt. Some have even \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11798851/s-f-taxi-drivers-say-the-medallion-crisis-is-killing-them-literally\">died of stress-related illnesses\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803475\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41225_002_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1610-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bhupinder Singh, a taxi driver for the past 20 years, at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 6, 2020. He has driven from Chico to SFO for the past 8 years to find passengers. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 4 p.m., the drivers enter City Hall. They walk under the building’s large central dome, past couples taking wedding photographs and up the long flight of stairs. At the top, they peak into the Board of Supervisors room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s packed with people. That’s not good — a busy room means a long agenda, and that means drivers will wait hours for the public comment period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drivers finally get their chance to speak around 6:30 p.m. Each driver has just two minutes at the microphone to tell their story. One by one, they approach the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope you make the right decision by giving us back our money,” Sutter tells them. “That’s hard-earned family money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harjeet Gargaria, another driver, says, “I don’t know if it’s because I look different — I look black, brown or whatever — but no one want to help us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Namdev Sharma is next. He wears a neatly pressed shirt tucked into a pair of slacks. It’s the outfit he always wears on City Hall days. His English isn’t perfect, and he has a few pages of handwritten notes. He carefully puts them on the lectern. But once he starts, he doesn’t even look at them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You must not forget us,” he says. “It is unfair. You must think. You must heed our voice. You putted us to a dying situation. You have power to create destiny of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803474\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803474\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41047_033_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_01302020_0097-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis fill the lower level of the short term parking garage as they wait to pick up passengers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Jan. 30, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s estimated that it would take the city $160 million to buy back the medallions. New York City is already beginning a debt relief program for its drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what could be done here in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, there’s the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The agency could potentially issue a bond to buy back the medallions. It has had the power to do so since voters approved Proposition A in 2007, but the SFMTA isn’t currently pursuing this route. If it did, it would need approval from the Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another option is for the supervisors to fund a buyback program from the city budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Dean Preston says something needs to be done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the city definitely owes a debt to the cab drivers who played by the rules for years, and then find themselves in financial dire straits through no fault of their own,” Preston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preston isn’t the first supervisor to speak up. For the last two years, Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer has argued that the whole medallion system is broken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a public meeting last June, Fewer said, “I personally don’t see any way out except to actually blow up the whole thing and redesign the whole thing over again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She thinks San Francisco should come up with money to help the drivers out. “I just think the burden these people are living under is incredible,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11803471\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11803471\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut.jpg\" alt=\"taxi driver\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/RS41226_003_KQED_TaxiDriversSFO_02062020_1631-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxi driver Ali Alikhani at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 6, 2020. As of 11:45 a.m., he has only had one passenger since starting work at 7 a.m. that day. He said that being a taxi driver is not a healthy work situation — they often work over 12 hours. He said, “Workers in factories have protections for work conditions. Taxi drivers don’t have that. What kind of life is that? Is this America?” \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Seven supervisors told KQED they support the city looking into debt relief. They include Preston, Fewer, Matt Haney, Aaron Peskin, Hillary Ronen, Catherine Stefani and Shamann Walton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Gordon Mar are undecided. Ahsha Safai and Norman Yee did not respond. Neither did Mayor London Breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco mayors have played a significant role in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11694401/san-francisco-made-millions-selling-taxi-medallions-now-drivers-are-paying-the-price\">medallion debt crisis\u003c/a>. In 2010, then-mayor Gavin Newsom directed the SFMTA to start selling the medallions. Then, Mayor Ed Lee abdicated responsibility for regulating Uber and Lyft to the state. Now, seven hundred drivers, mostly immigrants of color, are being crushed in an unlevel playing field, and Breed has been silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breed has not responded to repeated requests from KQED for comment on this issue. These requests date back to when she first arrived in office in 2018. For this story, her press office said, “Due to Mayor Breed’s busy schedule, she does not have a statement on this matter at this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Board of Supervisors meeting is finally over at nearly 7 p.m., it has gotten dark and cold outside. Some of the drivers have long night shifts ahead of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Matt Sutter says he doesn’t know if what the drivers said at this particular meeting is going to have an impact, but he says at least they can leave knowing that they went in and tried to do something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If nothing changes, he says, they’ll be back next week. He asks, “What other option do we have?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
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}
},
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"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
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"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
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"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
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"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
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"here-and-now": {
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"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
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