SOME THOUGHTS on the passage of Prop 22.

It's a horrible loss for workers both now and in the long run, and a dangerous precedent that Uber and Lyft will use to advance their aim of creating a permanent class of gig workers without access to decent protections and benefits.

But it's *particularly* horrible given current economic conditions. When you have rampant want and inequality, enshrine new modes of technology-mediated work, and deprive workers of the right to organize or a living wage, it's a recipe for disaster. https://onezero.medium.com/the-future-of-decent-work-depends-on-the-failure-of-prop-22-9678e3031717

Prop 22 robs gig workers of the right to officially organize, so as these companies harden into monopolies, as conditions and pay worsen, while traditional work dries up, the table will be set for mass exploitation and eventually, if history is any guide, unrest.

And you'd better believe conditions and pay at gig companies are only going to worsen—it's all but guaranteed. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, none are profitable. That's why they were so desperate for 22 to pass; their exploitative business models depended on it. https://onezero.medium.com/uber-and-lyfts-business-model-may-be-dead-good-53940dcbac34

Uber and Lyft's Yes on 22 campaign outspent the No campaign by a margin of nearly 20 to 1; their $200 million to $10 m, put up mostly by unions. Yes had mailers, ads, preroll on YouTube, in-app reminders, all kinds of propaganda. No had drivers willing to fight for basic rights.

It's no surprise, ultimately, that the most expensive ballot measure in history was able to bludgeon the competition with sheer volume of pro-yes rhetoric.

Uber, Lyft, and Yes on 22 were able to successfully set the terms of the debate. They won the flexibility argument, however disingenuous it was. Even *drivers* believed AB5 would limit their flexibility, which it did not, and would only be the case if Uber *made it* the case

This flexibility angle, the idea that "independence" itself was unchallenged by the press and even some critics. Even today, the NYT headline is almost celebratory — "Uber and Lyft drivers will remain independent." They're given the benefit of the doubt.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/technology/california-uber-lyft-prop-22.html

Another divide we should look at more carefully is between full time and part time drivers. Part time drivers tended to support Prop 22 due to the flexibility argument Uber put forward. Full time drivers, who work more but are fewer in number, knew they stood to lose protections.

Finally, Prop 22 is the most recent example of Democrats leaving labor in the lurch. Beyond @LorenaSGonzalez and a few other advocates, there was little discernible organized institutional opposition, no big speeches, little canvassing support. And the workers got crushed.