Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 17, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 17 rideshare bills in Connecticut, defends its methodology for paying drivers and argues the legislation would have been a hindrance to part-time drivers. That's because it likely would have led Uber to stop covering commercial insurance for in-state drivers, which would require them to pay about $4,500 per year, said company spokes- man Harry Hartfield, referring to the price of that insurance in New York City. Since more than half of Uber drivers nationwide drive fewer than 10 hours per week, the $4,500 could lead many of them to leave the app, which would mean fewer available rides for passengers, Hartfield said. In a statement, Lyft spokesman Adri- an Durbin also stressed that most of the company's drivers are part-timers looking to supplement their income. "They value the flexibility Lyft pro- vides, which allows them to work when, where, and for how long they want, while earning more than $20 per hour on average," Durbin's statement said. Uber, which recently became a pub- licly traded company, also pushes back against the notion that it's reducing driver pay. Unlike a previous pay sys- tem where Uber took a percentage of the total passenger bill, fares are now based on multiple factors like mileage and trip duration. This makes driver rates dynamic, Hartfield said, and can result in drivers earning more. Besides lobbying on their own behalf, Uber and Lyft also gained support from the Connecticut Business & Industry As- sociation and MADD Connecticut (Moth- ers Against Drunk Driving), which ar- gued increasing ridesharing costs might make fewer people use the services. Labor's support Meanwhile, Connecticut Drivers United has tapped its own powerful lobbying force: organized labor. "What's happening, as I understand it, is these companies are just gouging their [drivers'] rates all the time, and [drivers] have no control over it," said Beverley Brakeman, regional director for United Auto Workers Region 9A, which represents taxi drivers in Con- necticut. "So, we got involved in the legislative arena to help them lobby a bill in the state Senate to help them with rates and some rights on the job." Brakeman isn't sure whether the UAW's involvement with Connecticut rideshare drivers will grow beyond an advisory relationship to full union rep- resentation. One complicating factor is that Uber and Lyft have insisted their drivers are independent contractors, rather than employees, which drasti- cally reduces their labor protections. Independent-contractor status pres- ents legal challenges as to whether and how UAW can bring these drivers into the fold, she said. But it's not out of the question, Brakeman added, noting that the International Association of Machin- ists and Aerospace Workers union repre- sents more than 70,000 rideshare drivers in New York City, according to the union. Even if Connecticut Drivers United struck a deal with an established union, recruiting drivers to join the formal entity would likely be challeng- ing. As Gomez has found in his organi- zation efforts, even banding together an unofficial coalition of like-minded drivers can be a herculean task. Unlike other professions, drivers on app-based platforms have no central place where a labor organizer can hand out fliers or talk to workers com- ing off their shifts. The tenuous nature of their employment also discourages some from joining in any pro-labor efforts, Gomez said. "A lot of drivers are afraid. They feel that their driver status could be compro- mised if they speak out against Uber," Gomez said, referring to the company's ability to deactivate a driver, preventing them from getting fares through the app, at any time and for virtually any reason. "People have fears that somehow participating may mean they will some- how not be able to continue (driving)." Moving forward, Bhandary-Alexan- der said he's optimistic about Con- necticut Drivers United's prospects. While the bill the group supported this year didn't pass, Bhandary-Alexander said few proposals by state residents with no lobbying backing do. The driv- ers' bill got further than he expected, which he says bodes well for continu- ing the effort next legislative session. Gomez says he'll be there. "[We need to] get more people on board, keep relationships with unions and the lawyers, keep working with the government here in Connecticut and try to get the bill passed next year," Gomez said. Rideshare drivers as far away as London participated in a recent one-day strike. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED www.cocommunications.com Goldfish have longer attention spans than humans.

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