WORCESTER, Mass.—Staying flexible with their schedules is something rideshare and delivery drivers say they need.

“I’m a single mother,” one driver said. “I don’t just do rideshare apps, I don’t just do DoorDash. I’m also a nurse assistant and I also go to Quinsigamond to be a registered nurse.”

A lawsuit in Massachusetts could soon force those drivers to become employees, rather than independent contractors. Drivers would have to work set schedules and potentially only work for a single ridesharing app.

What You Need To Know

  • A Massachusetts lawsuit could force rideshare drivers to work set schedules and limit how much they work.

  • Riders in Worcester spoke out against the idea Tuesday, saying it would have a significant impact on how much they earn.

  • The issue was a question on the ballot, but was shot down by a Massachusetts court last month.

Drivers in Central Massachusetts spoke out against the issue Tuesday.

“Lyft, Uber, all of these apps have given me the ability to pay and maintain and keep my children in a home and fed and all of the above,” another driver said.

The advocacy goes beyond the drivers. Businesses along Shrewsbury Street say ridesharing not only was a safe option for many but also helped the local economy through COVID-19.

“It’s a benefit in both getting my employees here, but also getting my customers here and home safely, soundly,” Paul Barber said, owner of the Flying Rhino Cafe.

“A lot of the restaurants may not have made it,” Alex Guardiola said, who serves as Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We changed the way we did business. We said, ‘We can’t go in the doors, but we still need access to good food, making sure that we’re helping our small businesses.’”

The law would also require rideshare and delivery companies to guarantee a minimum amount of compensation, provide more benefits and prevent driver termination based on things like race and sexual orientation.

“Being an employee won’t work for my family, but gig work does,” a driver said. “And I know I’m making a positive impact in my own home.”

Now the issue of having rideshare drivers be independent contractors was actually scheduled to be on the ballot, but a Massachusetts court shot it down just a few weeks ago. Advocates Tuesday are still hoping they can get that question on the ballot in the near future.