CLASP policy analyst Lorena Roque gives testimony before the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Joint Committee On Labor And Workforce Development, on behalf of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

CLASP stands in strong opposition of H.B. 1848, An Act Establishing Rights and Obligations of Transportation Network Drivers and Transportation Network Companies, which carves out workers’ rights for Transportation Network Drivers by classifying them as independent contractors.

CLASP also seeks to improve job quality for workers earning low incomes. That includes increasing wages and providing access to paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, and stable work schedules. Quality jobs enable individuals to balance their work, school, and family responsibilities – promoting economic stability as well as career advancement. All working people have a right to a good, stable job that pays them a living wage and treats them with respect.

Throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, hundreds of thousands of hourly workers – disproportionately women and people of color – struggle to earn a stable income because of low wages and the inability to access employee benefits. H.1848 strips workers of being considered employees in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, allows corporations to skirt accountability and avoid paying into Massachusetts’ social safety net, and forces the taxpayers of the Commonwealth to subsidize wages of workers to whom these corporations refuse to pay a living wage.

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