Proud to share an open letter, co-signed by researchers w/expertise in 'gig work,' to STATE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE agencies that I drafted with @CharlotteGarden. The letter provides a detailed legal argument for why drivers for Uber & Lyft are employees

https://www.nelp.org/wp-content/uploads/Open-Letter-State-UI-Agencies-Uber-Lyft-Drivers.pdf

and should be treated as such. We argue that it would be a mistake to ignore companies’ decisions to misclassify their workforces or to treat the CARES Act as though it makes companies’ misclassifications of their workforces irrelevant.

If ride-hailing drivers are treated as independent contractors, they may not receive assistance in a timely manner, nor will they receive it after the expiry of the Act. The financial assistance itself will come from a federal
unemployment insurance trust, which is funded...

through the taxes of law-abiding employers. To
date, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have not paid into unemployment insurance funds on
either the state or federal level. We thank the many signatories including @sanjuktampaul @Econ_Marshall @mer__edith @AJRavenelleNYC cont

@bcmerchant @gleemie @hibahafiz @MichaelMOswalt @cfrosado @brian_callaci @KatieJWells @JulietSchor @niloufar_s @matthewtbodie & many others who may or may not be on twitter. We thank Zubin Soleimany & Elena Goldstein for their amazing assistance. END/

Um meanr @brian_callaci not @bcmerchant