CLIMATEWIRE | James Jordan could work at almost any job in California and be protected by state rules that require companies to give their employees high-quality masks to block wildfire smoke.
But James Jordan is an Uber driver.
That means he’s a contractor, not an employee, for the multibillion-dollar tech giant — and unprotected by California’s first-in-the-nation regulations on worker safety related to wildfire smoke.
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Ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft are now part of America’s disaster response. Both apps have offered Los Angeles residents free rides to evacuation shelters during the deadly wildfires that have torched large area of the city — a service they also offered ahead of hurricanes and other disasters around the country.
But the drivers who venture into harm’s way often have little gear or training to protect themselves — or their riders — from extreme weather.
The rights of gig workers were also weakened by a California ballot initiative that was upheld by the state Supreme Court last year. The result: Uber and Lyft are exempted from state wildfire smoke protections for workers — and the companies don’t have to provide drivers with sick leave if they fall ill from inhaling wildfire smoke. Drivers also can’t claim workers compensation if their lungs are irreparably harmed.
“We help their brand, and we serve the community so they can stay out of this hazard, but we don’t get anything for putting ourselves at risk,” Jordan said on a recent Saturday afternoon as Los Angeles County extended its unhealthy air quality warning and urged people to “stay indoors as much as possible.”
Uber and Lyft each said their drivers provided about 10,000 rides to evacuation…
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