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May 4, 2018 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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AFL-CIO calls on Portland to give Uber drivers a voice
By Don McIntosh
At an April 30 rally outside City
Hall, Portland City Commis-
sioner Nick Fish announced
plans for a city ordinance to
give Uber and Lyft drivers more
say over wages and working
conditions. A public hearing on
the concept is tentatively set for
May 24. The action is in re-
sponse to calls from the Oregon
AFL-CIO.
Oregon AFL-CIO organizer
Alma Raya has spent almost two
years talking with Uber and Lyft
drivers about pay and working
conditions, even while the state
labor federation helped defeat
proposed legislation backed by
so-called transportation network
companies (TNCs) that would
have declared their drivers to be
independent contractors. Exist-
ing state law classifies taxi driv-
ers as independent contractors,
but in 2015, the Oregon Bureau Oregon AFL-CIO organizer Alma Raya, left, has been talking with Uber and Lyft drivers like the ones above outside City
Hall. The union federation sees its mandate as fighting for all working people, including “gig economy” workers.
of Labor and Industries issued a
help drivers resolve complaints
nonbinding advisory opinion that terms of that deal, he’s not al- tiable.
“[Uber and Lyft] have it set up against TNCs about wages, de-
Uber drivers are in fact employ- lowed to drive for Uber. Kinder-
mann decides what hours he where they’re the only winners,” activation or any other issue.
ees.
Consider Lyft driver Enrique drives, but little else: How much said Tina Anatra, who has been
Kindermann, who took part in of the fare he keeps, the rules un- driving for Uber in the Portland
FIND OUT MORE
the rally outside City Hall. Kin- der which he’s rated and can be area for eight months.
Learn more about the AFL-CIO’s
The proposed ordinance is still
dermann pays $200 a week to deactivated, the terms under
Transportation Fairness campaign –
rent the 2015 Hyundai he drives which he rents his vehicle — all being developed, Fish said, but
and sign up for email updates – at
for Lyft —through a Lyft part- those things are decided by the basically it would create a public
transportationfairnesspdx.com
nership with Hertz. Under the company and are non-nego- body in which city staff would