#84 | Veena Dubal: Employee or I.C. (California AB5/Prop22)

Rideshare Rodeo Podcast

Uber Lyft Drivers and Gig Economy Workers Weekly News & Interviews: This week I have Veena Dubal on the podcast. Veena is the Law Professor at University of California Hastings. She also is a big piece of the California AB5 movement, as well as, an advocate against California Proposal 22. We covered:

1. Veena’s background and what brought her to the fight for AB5.

2. The Taxi industry post 9/11.

3. Law School, Dissertation on ‘A Century Worth of Taxi Worker Organizing’.

4. 2013: learned about ‘for transportation’ vehicles picking up people at hotels.

5. 2014: California created “Transportation Network Company”.

6. 2014: Taxi Medallions in both San Francisco and New York City became worthless in such a short time.

7. Dynamex decision brought on AB5 in California.

8. Control Test, IRS Test, Borrello Test, ABC Test.

9. ABC Test has been used for years, in over 20 states to determine whether or not people qualified for unemployment.

10. Lorena Gonzales moved to have the ABC Test in California not only apply to ‘Unemployment’, but for ‘employee’ status as well.

11. The Traditional Independent Contractors and California AB5, carve-outs, and those who never got carve-outs.

12. California Prop 22: The money spent on the proposal, the passing of Prop 22, the fight that Prop 22 now faces in the state for breaking the ‘California Constitution’.

13. Proposition 22 was intended to allow app-based on-demand workers/drivers to remain Independent Contractors and other platform worker incentives.

14. My NEED to be an Independent Contractor, and how can I remain one?

15. The NEED for ‘Flexibility’ on these platforms.

16. Taxi Union structure of the past.

17. Limiting the amount of workers on the platform.

18. How market-to-market growth affects each city.

19. Massachusetts Bill h.1234 (mirrors California Prop 22).

20. Will other states start following the fight that draws in ‘The Coalition For Workers’ to other states, because they see the amount of money being used to fight Prop 22 in California and Massachusetts.

Ready... Set... Rodeo!!!!!

Thanks to Veena for coming on the podcast, and agreeing to come back on to finish up our discussion.

Rideshare Rodeo is sponsored by Curri.com Drive for Curri: https://drivecurri.app.link/fom2uFMcCib

November 2nd on the podcast will will have a panel of Curri Drivers from different markets, using different vehicles, performing different tasks, experiences, and anything else they want to share!

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