Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The United States Attorney General’s Office has reached a settlement with Uber/Lyft, which has raised further questions about pay and benefit compensation for drivers.
Part of the settlement requires that the rideshare companies set a minimum pay standard of $32 per hour for drivers. This mandatory compensation rate also includes sick leave, occupational accidental insurance, and healthcare stipends.
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While the settlement was made with the protection of drivers in mind, some are looking for more clarity on what exactly this would mean for them.
“I can’t imagine somebody who has a full-time job and wants to do Uber or Lyft as a side hustle, how could they be considered an employee?” said one rideshare driver.
WBZ NewsRadio also spoke to Dayle, who has been ridesharing for five years, and thinks that this new settlement complicates matters for drivers who want to remain independent.
“How could anybody insist that we’re employees? We don’t get paid a paycheck from Lyft or Uber; we get money in our account that’s a result of the work we do, and it gets put into our bank account,” Dayle said.
“I haven’t really read too much up on it yet because it just happened on Thursday, but it seems like a good thing,” said another driver.
Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft will also pay a combined total of $175 million dollars to resolve allegations of violating the state’s wage and hour laws.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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