Protect App-Based Drivers & Services

Protect App-Based Drivers & Services
Name	Protect App-Based Drivers & Services
Type	Advocacy coalition
Founded	2019
Focus	Labor rights, transportation policy, gig economy regulation
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.

Protect App-Based Drivers & Services

Protect App-Based Drivers & Services is an advocacy coalition formed to advance legal protections and labor standards for workers engaged through digital platforms. It operates at the intersection of transportation, labor, and technology policy, engaging with legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, and civil society groups to shape rules affecting drivers, couriers, and gig-work platforms.

Background and Context

The coalition emerged amid debates sparked by landmark disputes such as Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, legislative initiatives like California Assembly Bill 5, and judicial rulings including California v. Uber Technologies, Inc. and People v. Postmates Inc.. Its formation responded to regulatory actions by agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, legal strategies pursued by unions like the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters, and corporate tactics exemplified by companies like Uber Technologies, Lyft, Inc., DoorDash, Inc., and Grubhub. The coalition engages with policymakers in jurisdictions ranging from the State of California and the City of New York to federal actors such as the United States Department of Labor and legislative committees including the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Legal and Regulatory Framework

Protect App-Based Drivers & Services operates within a shifting legal landscape shaped by statutes like the Fair Labor Standards Act and litigation referencing doctrines from cases such as O'Connor v. Uber Technologies, Inc. and Bartlett v. Strickland-era precedents, while responding to ballot measures such as California Proposition 22 and municipal ordinances in cities like Seattle and San Francisco. The coalition monitors rulemaking at agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, engages with state labor departments like the California Department of Industrial Relations, and files amicus briefs in appeals before courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Safety and Labor Protections

Advocacy by the coalition links worker safety debates involving standards from organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and public-health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to worker-support programs modeled after initiatives by the International Labour Organization and labor unions including the Amalgamated Transit Union. Its agenda emphasizes access to benefits referenced in statutes like the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and coverage akin to protections under the Affordable Care Act, while promoting accident-insurance schemes similar to those overseen by state workers’ compensation boards such as the California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.

Technology and Platform Accountability

The coalition scrutinizes platform design choices by firms such as Uber Technologies, Lyft, Inc., DoorDash, Inc., Instacart, and Amazon Flex, advocating transparency policies aligned with principles debated at institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It addresses algorithmic management and data-access issues raised by researchers from organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AlgorithmWatch, and seeks enforcement of consumer-protection frameworks enforced by agencies like the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.

Economic Impacts and Compensation Models

Protect App-Based Drivers & Services evaluates compensation models in light of economic analyses from think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Economic Policy Institute, and the Urban Institute, and compares gig compensation to standards established in collective bargaining agreements negotiated by unions like the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union. The coalition examines pricing and fare-setting mechanisms influenced by marketplace platforms including Uber Technologies and Lyft, Inc., and considers alternative models such as guaranteed minimum wages, portable benefits systems inspired by proposals from the Rockefeller Foundation and Brookings Institution, and public-private partnerships akin to initiatives in municipalities like London and Chicago.

Policy Proposals and Advocacy Efforts

The coalition advances policy proposals ranging from statutory reclassification options tested in legislative settings like the California State Legislature to hybrid arrangements promoted in reports by actors such as the Brookings Institution and the Aspen Institute. It coordinates with advocacy organizations including the AFL–CIO, the Center for Popular Democracy, and local chapters of the Teamsters to lobby bodies including the United States Congress, state legislatures, and city councils in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Campaigns leverage strategic litigation, regulatory petitions to agencies like the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor, public education collaborations with universities including Columbia University and New York University, and coalition-building with civil-rights groups such as the NAACP.

Category:Labor rights organizations Category:Transportation policy