Posted on 08/08/2019 3:11:00 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
BY ADELE PETERS
Los Angeles county, where the minimum wage is currently $14.25 an hour, studies suggest that Uber and Lyft drivers often make far less. In El Monte, an industrial city east of Los Angeles, the city council just unanimously voted to change that, telling city officials to begin drafting a law that would guarantee drivers a minimum of $30 an hour.
While other cities have set minimum wages for ride-hail drivers, this would be the highest in the country, and it comes after pressure from the Mobile Workers Alliance, a project from the Service Employees International Union, Local 721. “Currently, workers who are working for companies like Uber and Lyft are working lots of hours and still making less than minimum wage,” says Coral Itzcalli, an organizer for the union.
“On average, we hear from workers that they’re working daily 12 to 16 hours a day. That translates to tired people behind the wheel on already congested public roads. And no one should put their life or the life of someone else at risk by being so tired behind the wheel just because they’re trying to earn the pennies on the dollar that Uber and Lyft is paying them.”
The pay might sound generous, but it’s intended to provide drivers with $15 an hour to cover the costs of operating their cars and another $15 in take-home pay. Itzcalli says that drivers have to cover the cost of gas, frequent oil changes and other maintenance because they’re driving so many miles, and extra insurance because standard car insurance doesn’t cover ride-hail drivers. Many drivers have to work a week and a half just to cover the basic operating expenses of driving. A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute found that the average hourly wage for Uber drivers was just $11.77. The union’s own surveys suggest it’s actually closer to $8-9 an hour in the area.
“California is one of the most expensive states to live in,” says Itzcalli. “Housing is very, very expensive. Many of these folks are just one paycheck away from being homeless. We already have a homeless crisis. It is something that we all feel is urgent, because we cannot continue to allow these companies to drive our communities to the ground.”
City officials will have 120 days to develop the new ordinance, which will likely require another vote. Lyft, in response, offered a boilerplate statement about working to increase drivers wages. Uber did not respond by press time. In the meantime, a separate state bill is making its way to the governor that would force companies like Uber and Lyft to classify drivers as employees, not independent contractors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness. Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and Solutions program at UC Berkeley, and contributed to the second edition of the bestselling book "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century." More
I dont go to El Monte. Its a shithole. And yes, it covers ONLY El Monte and the issue is will Uber raise the rates 10 times once you enter any El Monte zip code?
Yeah, who else would kill those two businesses in their jurisdiction?
Pretty much had to be Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York.
Insanity.
The purpose of setting the pay rate to $30, is to eliminate Uber and Lyft from being able to operate in the city. It is for the benefit of local cab outfits.
They should throw in free immunizations for typhus too.
many employers with public contact employees pay for TB tests . The illegals have much high level of TB than what americans have.
...like the children in Lake Wobegon...
And why not?
The foggy brained Robert Mueller made over a thousand
dollars per hour on the taxpayer's dime to produce
a stupid report of his ridiculous, pointless investigation.
Having no statistics at all, I would estimate that the great majority of Uber drivers earn something like $5 an hour, maybe less, considering car expenses and gas.
What was that word I’m trying to remember?
Oh, yeah: SOCIALISM.
Mueller: My biggest mistake was not stretching out those billable hours at least another year and a half. Oh, well.
This must be an attempt to reduce carbon emissions. Ridership will drop like a rock. Actual take home wages will avalanche in time to nonexistence.
It took me almost 23 years to get to that rate.
my first full time job and wore a tie, 3.10 at General Dynamics circa 1967. I think the min wage was 1.25
just say California, the rest is understood
They aren’t paying LA county employees that much.
I know one and know what she’s making. She told me.
Each of us should demand 30 bucks an hour from the politicians on Capitol Hill for the way they screw with us unmercifully day in and day out.
Uber and Lyft are going BK.....
Both Uber and Lyft are hemorrhaging money so it just a question of time before they both go under in the not too distant future like months.
Maybe they should write a boll guaranteeing unemployed uber/lyft drivers a minimum wage - sort of like unemployment checks ...
Make it $130, then they’ll all get rich. Or, driverless cars will be fielded much quicker.
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