rideshare

In April, I wrote about proposed Alabama legislation to exempt rideshare workers from workers compensation protections. Of course, the Alabama Legislature passed the legislation — It protected big companies at the expense of working men and women in our communities.

You can read my prior article at Alabama Legislature Helps Rideshare Services Avoid Providing Workers’ Compensation Benefits. In recent years, large rideshare companies have lobbied at the state level to avoid providing essential workers’ compensation benefits to workers. The state-by-state battle has seen mixed results. Some states have protected workers while others (such as Alabama) have not. In Alabama, the rideshare companies found an ally in Senator Arthur Orr. Not a surprise. Senator Orr annually sponsors legislation to arbitrarily cut-off medical and disability benefits from our most disabled workers.

Rideshare Companies Can Afford To Care For Their Workers

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In the current gig-economy, some companies have constructed huge enterprises based on business models that classify their entire workforce as independent contractors. By classifying their workers as independent contractors rather than employees, these companies shift their costs onto the workers and communities they serve.

Traditionally, companies paid payroll taxes on employees. And, companies provided benefits (such as workers’ compensation) for employees. Neither is true with independent contractors. The costs and taxes are shifted to the worker. Work-related injury and disability costs are shifted first to the worker. But, when the worker is unable to pay, these costs are borne by the entire community. In past years, I’ve written several articles discussing why basic workers compensation benefits are important to our entire community.

Employee classification matters for several reasons. Today, I’ll stick to a topic I frequently discuss — Workers’ Compensation In Alabama.

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Articles Tagged with rideshare

Battle Over Rideshare Worker Classification Continues

Rideshare Companies Can Afford To Care For Their Workers

Alabama Legislature Helps Rideshare Services (Like Lyft and Uber) Avoid Providing Workers’ Compensation Benefits