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Fake Campaign Mail Masquerades as Bernie Sanders Endorsement for Uber/Lyft Ballot Measure (sfgate.com) 27

Posted by EditorDavid from the berning-the-feels dept.
California's elections include grass roots propositions that change the law directly while bypassing legislators. Uber, Lyft, and Uber-owned Postmates (as well as DoorDash and Instacart) have spent $185 million — the most ever spent — pushing a proposition that would keep ride-hail and delivery drivers as independent contractors, reports SFGate. "If it passes...gig corporations won't have to contribute to Social Security, Medicare or unemployment insurance. They won't have to offer paid sick leave, workers compensation or unemployment benefits to drivers."

But the site also investigated what happened shortly after the Uber/Lyft PAC reported an $128,000 expenditure on mailers: Political mailers masquerading as progressive voter guides and endorsing Proposition 22, the initiative backed by Uber and Lyft, are showing up in Southern California voters' mailboxes. The fine print on one mailer says it was prepared by the "Feel the Bern, Progressive Voter Guide," which is not an actual organization. Neither are the "Council of Concerned Women Voters Guide" nor the "Our Voice, Latino Voter Guide," whose mailers make the same endorsements as Feel the Bern.

Mailed political fliers typically identify the organization that paid for the literature. But that information was conspicuously absent from Feel the Bern and the other two mailers...

The measure would allow ride-hail and delivery drivers to continue to be treated as independent contractors, although with some new benefit concessions. If it fails, these employees would likely be considered workers entitled to a minimum wage, overtime pay, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and paid sick leave.

The California Democratic Party has endorsed a "no" vote for Prop. 22.
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Fake Campaign Mail Masquerades as Bernie Sanders Endorsement for Uber/Lyft Ballot Measure More

Fake Campaign Mail Masquerades as Bernie Sanders Endorsement for Uber/Lyft Ballot Measure

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  • Feeling the Burn (Score:3)

    by tchdab1 ( 164848 ) on Saturday October 10, 2020 @12:48PM (#60592122) Homepage

    Prop 22 (NO! ) tries to bypass legislation and keep gig employees subject to predatory conditions. What's it feel like when corporate money goes underground to pretend to be progressive but is in favor of keeping people underemployed? Feels like lying, feels like a burn.

    • "Bypassing legislation" is pretty much the entire point of ballot propositions. As with just about anything, it can be used for good or ill.

      • In this case it's quite a bit more direct than that. AB5 is legislation that was directed squarely at them, and now they are trying to pass prop 22 to buy themselves an exemption from that legislation.

        • In this case it's quite a bit more direct than that. AB5 is legislation that was directed squarely at them, and now they are trying to pass prop 22 to buy themselves an exemption from that legislation.

          Again, that's the point. They were targeted by the politicians, they're trying to see if they can get the people to show they feel differently. That is the point.

          The vulnerability of the masses to populist manipulation is a good argument against having such propositions. Direct democracies suck. Even if, in this case, Uber and Lyft are in the right: drivers are not employees. If they don't like the terms, they're free to not drive for Uber and Lyft. They're free to try to get a job with a traditional taxi c

          • The thing is, it applies to a lot more than Uber and Lyft, and it has exemptions for those who belong to a union. Joe Rogan and Bridget Phetasy talked about it on his podcast; the law as written applies to everyone doing gig work, including (relevant to them) comedians doing one-shots at a club.

            Don't get me wrong: Uber is a shady company. That doesn't make AB5 a good law. It's just a sop to unions, which under US labor law (which sucks) are political organizations first and foremost.

            • Yeah. AB5 is a terrible law. I meant it supposedly was targeted, at least that's Xavier Bacerra's excuse for doing it, though he's clearly corrupt. He had tons of opportunities to prosecute them for violating dozens of existing laws, and choses not to, so...

              My point was though that clearly Uber et al are afraid of it and so even if it's buckshot, they are still in the crosshairs, and they are trying to pass prop 22 to exempt themselves, so it's different from just ordinary ballot measures.

              • The whole point of AB5 is to end the gig economy, which has created a new form of income for millions of contractors. Unless the work you do can be compensated under very specific and narrow guidelines, it shouldnâ(TM)t be done? Some drivers donâ(TM)t want to be told when to schedule their shifts, since itâ(TM)s a second source of income. Some drivers donâ(TM)t want to be told they canâ(TM)t compete now because there arenâ(TM)t enough fares to support a minimum wage for as many

                • Either you fell for their propaganda or you are a shill. Since you have crapple fake-apostrophes making your post unreadable I'll assume you fell for their propaganda.

                  The whole point of AB5 is to end the gig economy,

                  Not likely. There are several likely motives, that doesn't even crack the top 20.

                  which has created a new form of income for millions of contractors.

                  There is nothing new about it. Not only have highly specialized employment agencies existed in the past, many of them use software for matching up gigs currently.

                  Unless the work you do can be compensated under very specific and narrow guidelines, it shouldnâ(TM)t be done?

                  That's what prop 22 says. Anything with an app automatically has to use the exact same business model

                  • And yet this is exactly how Postmates, an Uber subsidiary operates. If you don't work during their specified times, you don't get the "bonus pay", if you don't get the "bonus pay", you are only paid 40% as much per delivery.

                    So, they're offering a choice of when to work for higher pay. They're not firing you. In fact, you can choose to work a couple of hours a month, if you want to.

                    Most Uber drivers are also Lyft drivers. Do you know any employment contract that lets you work for the competitor? This is the definition of independent contractor. You work when you want to, where you want to. You bring your own equipment. If you can't or don't want to take any clients for a while, you don't, and quit earning money, but the moment

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by rtb61 ( 674572 )

            You simply need a reliable government managed data source for political announcements. Federally in the US case, it would be done out of the congressional library, as once put up it can never be deleted or changed sort of thing. A matter of public record, where children can be taught to check if political announcements were actual rather than just made up.

            No distinction weather the content was true or not, although it could be evaluated for such by leading universities and that could be tracked. Just that

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by kenh ( 9056 )

              Exactly what problem are you trying to solve? We need to establish a federal clearing house so that you can be 100% certain who sent you a piece of mail?

              I think you are proposing a ten pound solution to a five pound problem.

  • I don't think Uber would want to be associated with unethical behavior.

  • Lying Liars Lie to us?!? (Score:3)

    by Local ID10T ( 790134 ) <ID10T.L.USER@gmail.com> on Saturday October 10, 2020 @01:46PM (#60592222) Homepage

    Inconceivable...

    There is no way such fine upstanding corporations would lie to us about fucking over workers!

    Although really, this is not about supporting workers. It is about paying taxes. The state wants these businesses to pay various employment taxes/fees. Taxes based on how many employees you have. By classifying employees as independent contractors, they don't count. Thus the business pays the state less.

    • The liars being the politicians? Who targeted a couple specific companies in the same sector with same business model?
      Shouldn't the amount of taxes paid be the same, just WHO pays them? Aren't Independent Contractors supposed to pay taxes?

      Is the gardener or house cleaner you hire an employee if you tell them what time and day to work and what work to do?

      Just because I point out these contradictions does not mean I support Prop 22 -- I'm voting no. A law is easier and quicker to modify than a State Consti

      • Shouldn't the amount of taxes paid be the same, just WHO pays them? Aren't Independent Contractors supposed to pay taxes?

        Not in California. Small businesses are exempted from some of the taxes/fees that larger businesses pay. A lot of fees are on a sliding scale based on headcount. I run a small business, so I have encountered a few such.

        Workers comp is one example. If I am the only employee of my business, I am not required to pay into workers comp. If I have any other employees, I have to pay based on the number of employees (including myself) whether they are part-time or full time. The amount I pay may vary based on

    • And what do those taxes do? Pay for the "Social Security, Medicare or unemployment insurance....workers compensation or unemployment benefits" described in the summary. So it *is* about supporting workers... via taxes.

  • Ok, I'm in CA and the amount of money Uber and Co are putting in to get this passed (YES) is amazing (185M$ so far). That alone tells me that it's probably not the best thing for people. They like 'disrupting' the idea that you can have job and make a living wage, I honestly don't know how anyone comes out ahead driving for them (or Lyft) after wear and tear, insurance (car and medical), gas, car payments, etc.

    Thinking about this a bit I think that the main issue is that we have a new class of 'employee

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by kenh ( 9056 )

      It would be great if we had an affordable healthcare solution where a part time job could also have medical coverage (affordable coverage).

      But the health insurance companies will make sure that never happens.

      Have you even a passing understanding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? It makes healthcare coverage available on a sliding scale based on a person's ability to pay premiums. Of course, the word "affordability" was forgotten when they got to figuring out co-pays and deducables, but their hearts were in the right place.

      And since the writers of the bill required all Americans to hold healthcare insurance, public or private, and without a "public option" that added millions of previously unins

  • ... identify the organization that paid ...

    I thought that was US law, one of the few instances of truth in advertising. The publisher of this literature has committed more than fraud, they've committed political fraud.

    • You can make laws that make certain activities illegal, but that does not stop them happening. That requires law enforcement.

      I think there is a window of time where an illegal activity (e.g. a fraud) can be carried out to useful effect, before law enforcement catches up and shuts it down. It helps to carry out the illegal activity through some ad-hoc throw-away entity, and confuse the law enforcement people for a bit longer. And if the long arm of the law catches up with the originators of the crime, the le

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