CLASP policy senior policy analyst, Lorena Roque testified in Massachusetts on behalf of The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to strongly oppose H. 961, an Act establishing portable benefit accounts for app-based delivery drivers in Massachusetts. This legislation seeks to classify delivery workers as independent contractors, denying them employee benefits, and creating a two-tiered employment system. The bill also offers portable benefit accounts, but they do not adequately replace existing state benefits like paid family and medical leave and paid sick leave. H. 961’s definition of independent contractors contradicts Massachusetts labor law, and the legislation lacks mechanisms for holding companies accountable for discrimination against delivery workers. CLASP urges the committee to reject this bill, emphasizing that it undermines the state’s history of advancing workers’ rights and economic security.

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