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The measure to unionize drivers tends to be adopted

Umito November 7, 2024

BOSTON (SHNS) – As of Wednesday morning, Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts appeared to be on track to be able to negotiate their wages, benefits and working conditions, with voters favoring Question 3 by solid margins.

As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, with 73 percent of votes counted, 54 percent of voters supported the initiative to grant app-based drivers the right to unionize, and 46 percent opposed it.

“They thought they were too big for us to resist. They thought we wouldn’t have our union. But by all indications, we are…They should know they were wrong,” driver Cletus Awah said Tuesday around 9:30 p.m., before the official results were released, during an election night event in downtown Boston organized by 32BJ SEIU.

The party’s speakers were all optimistic, with many saying they were almost certain of victory.

The approach described in the ballot question is called sectoral bargaining. It will allow drivers from multiple companies to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions, and will also allow several transportation companies, like Uber and Lyft, to form their own association to represent. while negotiating with the drivers’ union.

The state will oversee labor agreements and the Secretary of Labor will have responsibility for approving or disapproving negotiated recommendations.

The question aimed to improve the well-being of drivers, with the new law stating: “These people often suffer from low pay, inadequate health coverage and irregular or inadequate working hours. It is hereby declared that the best interests of the Commonwealth are served by providing transportation system drivers with the opportunity…to bargain collectively to achieve sustainable wages, benefits, and working conditions.

There have been no official opponents of the law, although some have warned that prices for Uber and Lyft would likely increase if it passes.

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