All eyes are on California this week as lawmakers face a final vote on Assembly Bill 5. It would reclassify many gig workers as employees, opening the door to guaranteed benefits and protections like health care, workers’ compensation and the right to form a union.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he supports the bill and the state’s Democratic majority looks poised to pass it.
California is the birthplace of the modern gig economy, home to Uber, Lyft and a slew of similarly disruptive companies.
“They have built a business model based on far fewer benefits for workers,” said UC Berkeley labor expert Harley Shaiken. AB-5, he said, seeks to correct that and has been supported by the state’s major labor unions.
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