Dems Don't Want You To Get Ahead

In the summer of 2017 I drove for Uber--not because I needed to, but because I wanted to.  I wanted to see what it was like. I made a killing at it, too, earning around...wait for it...$700 in several weeks that summer!  And oh, the things I learned.

I knew the deal when I signed on to Uber.  I knew what they'd pay, and I knew I could work (and not work) whenever I wanted.  Sounded pretty fair to me.

I enjoyed having that side gig.  After California passed AB5, reclassifying most gig workers as employees, I learned that there are a lot of jobs that got reclassified against the wishes of the workers.  People who do medical transcription for just one office--now an employee.  Freelance writers who get most of their money from one publication--now employees.  Certain musicians--employees.  Translators--employees.  Independent truckers who contract mostly with one company--now employees.  You get the idea.

Many Uber, Lyft, and Doordash drivers railed against the new law.  It was so bad that in 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22 which excepted app-based drivers and delivery companies from being considered employees.

Not to be outdone, Slow Joe wants to pass a national version of AB5.

Shameless. 

Update:  I'll just copy Instapundit's entire post here:

BIDEN TO GIG WORKERS – DROP DEAD: Crime, especially in the big cities but also increasingly in their suburbs, is skyrocketing. But the Biden administration is preparing robbery on a massive scale, according to Issues & Insights. You know Biden, he’s from the government and he’s here to help us:

“In essence, the White House wants to outlaw gig work in America. No, it’s not saying so outright. The Biden Labor Department obscures that harsh reality with words meant to deceive. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says the department’s proposal is needed to safeguard ‘​​our nation’s most vulnerable workers,’ and ensure they are not deprived ‘of their federal labor protections.’

“Left out is the part that, should the proposal become policy, millions of Americans will be stripped of their jobs and income. Under its rule, the Labor Department would be free to ‘determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.’ And it will determine in every case that the worker in question must be a hired employee, no longer free to continue his or her job as an independent contractor.”

The key word there is “independent.” That idea threatens the bureaucrats, the mainstream media, and the power-hungry politicians. Just remember what they mean by “covering” something. With a pillow. Like Dave says.