Speaker 1: It's Night Side with Dan Ray WBZST Radio.
Speaker 2: All right, everybody, welcome on back, Welcome on back to Nightside,
Speaker 2: a Tuesday night edition. Here weather forecast that is going
Speaker 2: to get a little chillier as this week went on,
Speaker 2: So I'm kind of bemoaning that. I mean, it's like
Speaker 2: still been summer for a while. Okay, we are as
Speaker 2: always here at WBZ, committed certainly on Nightside to explain
Speaker 2: as best we can, both sides whenever possible. The various
Speaker 2: ballot questions. There are five ballot questions this year that
Speaker 2: we are going to be talking about, as I'm sure
Speaker 2: we've talked about some of them already. I think many
Speaker 2: of you are familiar with our support for the state
Speaker 2: auditors authority to audit the legislature, which is Question one
Speaker 2: that has the question that the state Auditor, Diane Desauglio
Speaker 2: is basically would ask us to vote yes to allow
Speaker 2: the state Auditor to audit, to have the authority to
Speaker 2: audit the legislature. The legislature has not been cooperative there
Speaker 2: that we have the elimination of the mcast as a
Speaker 2: high school graduation requirement. That's kind of funny because if
Speaker 2: you to eliminate it, you have to vote yes. To keep,
Speaker 2: you have to vote no. There's also minimum ways for
Speaker 2: tipped workers, which we're talked about a little bit, and
Speaker 2: the limited legalization and regulation of certain natural psychedelic substances,
Speaker 2: which we have talked about, but we have not talked
Speaker 2: about today. Question three, unionization for transportation network drivers. And
Speaker 2: we're delighted to be joined tonight by a representative who
Speaker 2: is opposed to this question question three. Her name is
Speaker 2: Kelly Cobb Lemir. She is with an organization which is
Speaker 2: entitled the Massachusetts Drivers United. You're an organizer for that,
Speaker 2: Kelly Cobb Lamir, Welcome to night Side. Thanks for being
Speaker 2: available tonight. We will actually have a representative on the
Speaker 2: yes side of question three, and I believe that they
Speaker 2: will be joining us as early as tomorrow night in
Speaker 2: this same hour, So give everybody an opportunity to hear
Speaker 2: both sides of the issue. And this is kind of
Speaker 2: this is a complicated one, Kelly. From our conversation today,
Speaker 2: we'll keep it as simple as possible. First of all,
Speaker 2: you are not a driver, correct, but you are a
Speaker 2: union activist. I have you a fair way to describe you.
Speaker 3: Yes, definitely, we definitely. We're pro union. We are on grassroots,
Speaker 3: one driver led organization, and we've been fighting for rights
Speaker 3: and protections at drivers.
Speaker 2: How many members makes up the group Massachusetts Drivers United approximately.
Speaker 3: We have about probably about eighteen hundred to two thousand members.
Speaker 2: And these would be people who drive for either Uber
Speaker 2: Lift those I assume you could also include bus drivers
Speaker 2: or cab drivers. But are they Uber and Lyft drivers
Speaker 2: or are similar ride share drivers.
Speaker 3: They would be ride share drivers Uber Lyft. But we
Speaker 3: also we also have in our group a whole group
Speaker 3: of workers, which would be delivery drivers. So okay, so
Speaker 3: those people, those workers are left out of this ballot initiative,
Speaker 3: and that's one of the reasons why we're opposed to it.
Speaker 2: So those would be the folks that deliver food, door
Speaker 2: dash and those sort of drivers. When you order a
Speaker 2: pizza late at night, that driver is out there hustling,
Speaker 2: just like an Uber or a Lyft driver, but they're
Speaker 2: transporting in most cases food. I guess they could also
Speaker 2: transport other items, but they're not transporting people.
Speaker 3: Right, I mean, basically this is you know, the ride
Speaker 3: share drivers, so it doesn't include food delivery or passenger.
Speaker 3: You know, there's also medical. Uber has a medical transport,
Speaker 3: so they are transporting passengers, but they are leaving out
Speaker 3: all the food delivery drivers. And you know, most drivers
Speaker 3: work for multiple platforms, and so you know, Massachusetts Drivers
Speaker 3: United has been advocating that all app based workers, including
Speaker 3: food delivery drivers, be included in this. So there's a
Speaker 3: huge group of workers that would be left out of
Speaker 3: this law, those that work for door Dash, Instacart, and
Speaker 3: Uber Eats.
Speaker 2: Well, my understanding, and I've tried to do a little
Speaker 2: research on it, is that ballid questions in Massachusetts are
Speaker 2: fairly closely monitored and it's not as if you and
Speaker 2: I can get it just to just have to get
Speaker 2: the signatures. They also have to sign the stand and qualify.
Speaker 2: And the correct question would be if you try to
Speaker 2: include again food rivers or or people who are not
Speaker 2: Uber lift type drivers, meaning you know, the people who
Speaker 2: drive another person from point A to point B, would
Speaker 2: that disqualify this issue from even getting on the ballot
Speaker 2: or would the Attorney General have said no, there's there's
Speaker 2: too many internal questions here. You will it down just
Speaker 2: a single question, right.
Speaker 3: Well, you know, as we we've been advocating that it
Speaker 3: is a complex issue. There has been legislation that mirrors
Speaker 3: this ballot, and that's been legislation that mirrors what we've
Speaker 3: been fighting for, which would make you know, drivers employees
Speaker 3: and give them full rights, including all app based drivers.
Speaker 3: But unfortunately the legislators thought it was too complex. I
Speaker 3: think they were leaving it for the Attorney general settlement.
Speaker 3: They were leaving it for.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm sure that probably the legs or as they
Speaker 2: are often influenced my businesses and companies who who might
Speaker 2: maybe Uber Lyft. I assume that Uber and Lyft are
Speaker 2: not thrilled about this question from any perspective, correct, They
Speaker 2: would probably make me keep everything the way it is.
Speaker 3: Well, it basically is in a lot of ways. I mean,
Speaker 3: that's one of the reasons why we are against it
Speaker 3: is that Uber and lyft a not against question three.
Speaker 3: You know, customarily they've allocated hundreds of millions of dollars
Speaker 3: into election battles to keep drivers from having rights. You know,
Speaker 3: they did that in California when Prop twenty two was
Speaker 3: on the ballot. And the fact that Uber and Lyft
Speaker 3: are silent on this is really a strong indication that
Speaker 3: it is benefiting them to some degree and not necessarily
Speaker 3: the drivers. Obviously they're being classified as independent contractors. The
Speaker 3: Attorney General. The Attorney General settlement, you know, solidify that.
Speaker 3: But the lawsuit was actually about misclassification and they didn't
Speaker 3: get a ruling on that. So this, in my mind,
Speaker 3: because they're silent on it means that they're benefiting from it.
Speaker 3: They actually are advertising to drivers. Oh look, we came
Speaker 3: up with this settlement. You know, we're going to give
Speaker 3: you thirty two to fifty an hour, We're going to
Speaker 3: give you a few benefits, and they're actually promoting it.
Speaker 3: So I mean that's a red flag for any labor
Speaker 3: union to look at. Why is uber and left?
Speaker 2: You know?
Speaker 3: Okay with this?
Speaker 2: Okay, this is a complicated issue and we will sort
Speaker 2: it out as the evening goes on. We'll take it
Speaker 2: little bites at a time. My guest is her name
Speaker 2: is Kelly kab leamir. She's an organizer for a group
Speaker 2: called the Massachusetts Drivers United, and they are opposed to
Speaker 2: Question three. And again, your instinct would be that rideshare
Speaker 2: drivers would support a question which allow them to unionize,
Speaker 2: but this is a group that is opposed to that.
Speaker 2: And as they said tomorrow night, we'll have on another
Speaker 2: point of view on this issue. So if you'd like
Speaker 2: to join the conversation, you're more than welcome if you
Speaker 2: If you can help us bring some clarity to it,
Speaker 2: that would be great. Uh six one, seven, two, five,
Speaker 2: four thirty six, one seven, nine, ten thirty. I'll be
Speaker 2: back with my guest, Kelly cobb Lemire of the Massachusetts
Speaker 2: Drivers United, which is opposed to mass ballot Question three,
Speaker 2: which would allow Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize. So, uh,
Speaker 2: if you have a question, feel free to join us
Speaker 2: back on Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1: Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Speaker 1: Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2: Now, I know that I have a lot of Uber
Speaker 2: drivers and Lyft drivers who are driving around right now
Speaker 2: and listening to night Side, and I'm specific looking for
Speaker 2: perspective from drivers, whether you're a member of the Massachusetts
Speaker 2: Drivers United, a group that Kelly cobb Lemir represents, or
Speaker 2: you're on the other side of this issue. The question
Speaker 2: is Uber came on board? What about ten years ago?
Speaker 2: All of a sudden Uber pops up and at least
Speaker 2: that's the history that I recall. Are you with me
Speaker 2: on that, Kelly?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm about that time frame.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I was stunned that Uber could actually work
Speaker 2: in cities like Boston where for many, many years Boston
Speaker 2: had had eighteen hundred Hackney licenses and to get a
Speaker 2: Hackney license you had to pay an arm and a
Speaker 2: leg about a half a million dollars, And all of
Speaker 2: a sudden Uber arrives and I just watched them decimate
Speaker 2: the cab industry because the vehicles were cleaner, and the
Speaker 2: drivers were younger, and they were more flexible with their hours.
Speaker 2: So Uber has some pretty good lawyers and uh business
Speaker 2: people associated with it. Those are the people who the
Speaker 2: drivers are always going to be sitting across the table from.
Speaker 2: And what you hope to do is to be able
Speaker 2: to level that playing field. But why not take whatever
Speaker 2: victory you can get and support this, uh, this ballot
Speaker 2: initiative and then go back a year from now or
Speaker 2: two years from now with another ballot initiative. What's what's
Speaker 2: wrong with taking half a loaf or you know, three
Speaker 2: quarters of a loaf, uh, at risk not getting any
Speaker 2: of the loaf? Right?
Speaker 3: Yeah, A lot of people have said that, you know,
Speaker 3: isn't it better to have something than nothing? But you know,
Speaker 3: The way I look at this, Dan, and the way
Speaker 3: we look at it from a labor perspective is, uh,
Speaker 3: this not only does it maintain the drivers as independent
Speaker 3: contractors and doing nothing to confirm Massachusetts law that would
Speaker 3: you know, cover drivers as full labor you know, with
Speaker 3: full labor and employment rights. But this would actually create
Speaker 3: a second tier of workers, you know, by granting this
Speaker 3: group of workers some rights but not guaranteeing them access
Speaker 3: to the rights of other Massachusetts workers, it really does
Speaker 3: a disservice and in our minds it you know, it
Speaker 3: creates a second tier with fewer rights and less power
Speaker 3: and ability to even enforce those rights.
Speaker 2: Assuming this statue, this ballot indership were to pass, what
Speaker 2: rights would the drivers at least in the short run
Speaker 2: miss out on.
Speaker 3: Well, for sure, no unemployment insurance, no workers comp and
Speaker 3: no overtime. And you know they're saying, oh, we're giving
Speaker 3: you thirty two fifty an hour, but not really, because
Speaker 3: it's only when you turn the app on and accept
Speaker 3: a ride and then you deliver the passenger. There's no overtime,
Speaker 3: there's no wait time. So it's basically you know that
Speaker 3: one particular you know, when you're you know, you've accepted
Speaker 3: a ride and you're delivering the passenger. And a lot
Speaker 3: of times you'll ask uber and lyft drivers they're waiting
Speaker 3: for passengers, they're they're you know, they're waiting for rides.
Speaker 3: They're looking for the good rides, and they're looking for
Speaker 3: things that work out for them, and so they're they're
Speaker 3: waiting a lot. So you know, that doesn't really help them.
Speaker 2: Correct me if I'm wrong, because I know a little
Speaker 2: bit about this. But whenever you know a little bit
Speaker 2: about something, it's my understanding is that because I've been
Speaker 2: in situations where you say, yeah, I want to you know,
Speaker 2: I'll take some over driver says yea, I'll pick you up,
Speaker 2: and all of a sudden, the over driver disappears because
Speaker 2: they have found or the lift driver disappears because they've
Speaker 2: found a more lucrative fear. Does that happen, Well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it could. But I think what happens
Speaker 3: is sometimes there's not a lot of transparency. Like I
Speaker 3: know from some drivers they said they didn't even know
Speaker 3: where the passenger would going. How could you accept a
Speaker 3: ride with a you know, with a fair amount and
Speaker 3: then not really know that you're maybe picking up multiple
Speaker 3: people because there's also multiple stops. So I think, you know,
Speaker 3: one of the reasons that we were promoting, you know,
Speaker 3: wanting to pass legislation is because we want transparency, not
Speaker 3: just for the drivers, but for passengers so they know
Speaker 3: what what's happening, because a lot of times passengers are
Speaker 3: assuming that whatever they're paying Uber and lyfts for this
Speaker 3: fair is going to the driver, when actually, you.
Speaker 4: Know, it's not.
Speaker 3: They may be getting maybe if they're lucky, thirty percent
Speaker 3: and maybe a tip, but the drivers, you know, aren't.
Speaker 3: Really there's not a lot of transparency, and that's why
Speaker 3: we've been pushing for legislation.
Speaker 2: Well, when they started out, I thought you told me
Speaker 2: today that the drivers would get eighty percent. Has that
Speaker 2: never been decreased by the big camp exactly?
Speaker 3: Originally a lot of drivers when they started driving, we're
Speaker 3: making eighty percent, and that's because Uber and left we're
Speaker 3: luring them in, and they were saying that, you know,
Speaker 3: once they got in. Pretty much shortly after that, they
Speaker 3: were they were not getting that same amount. They were
Speaker 3: going down to like thirty percent. So yeah, that's and
Speaker 3: they have Here's the thing too, Dan, if they really
Speaker 3: were independent contractors by by the legal standard, you would
Speaker 3: have negotiated your pay, So they're really employees subject to
Speaker 3: whatever uber lyfticides to pay them for whatever fare. So,
Speaker 3: I mean, that's the part that we really are trying
Speaker 3: to point out is there's still this misclassification and you're
Speaker 3: not giving them, you know, any of the benefits that
Speaker 3: go along with being an employee because you're maintaining the
Speaker 3: independent contractor to status, which isn't really true because they
Speaker 3: they they would have already negotiated, you know, getting seventy
Speaker 3: or eighty percent. But that's you know, that's part of
Speaker 3: the problem.
Speaker 2: All right, let's do this. Let's get some phone calls
Speaker 2: going here. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
Speaker 2: or six one, seven, nine, three thirty. I'm going to
Speaker 2: get Johnny, and Johnny's been waiting. Get Johnny gets you
Speaker 2: in here before the news at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 2: You were first on Night Side with Kelly cobb Lemire
Speaker 2: of the Massachusetts Drivers United.
Speaker 4: Go ahead, Hi, Dan, missus Johnny from Selfie. Yeah, you know,
Speaker 4: love listening to your show, and I just I just
Speaker 4: need to get this twelve bye. I read the missiative
Speaker 4: petition and it sounded like they were union people that
Speaker 4: were preventing, uh, the independent people, the people that work
Speaker 4: for wolver Lift or whatever they were, they were preventing
Speaker 4: them from becoming unionized. That did I get that right?
Speaker 4: That pass?
Speaker 2: Well, let's see what Kelly says. Kelly's a union person,
Speaker 2: she's opposed to the initiative. So I assume you could
Speaker 2: come to that conclusion. But let's let Kelly defend. Okay, sure, Kelly,
Speaker 2: why don't you tell John you what your credentials are.
Speaker 3: We're definitely pro union. We we definitely part of our
Speaker 3: you know, mission statement is for a pathway to a union.
Speaker 3: The reason why, you know, there's multiple reasons and multiple
Speaker 3: layers and the complexity of why we don't support this
Speaker 3: ballot initiative is it And it's not just because we
Speaker 3: don't want a pathway to a union. It's because of
Speaker 3: all these other things that go along with it. So
Speaker 3: we're definitely pro.
Speaker 4: The other reasons, well I mentioned that.
Speaker 3: Was that it maintains the drivers as independent contractors. It
Speaker 3: creates a second tier of workers. It was no overtime,
Speaker 3: no unemployment insurance, no workers comp So these workers are
Speaker 3: getting some rights, but not access to all different rights.
Speaker 3: Another huge reason why we are questioning. This is because
Speaker 3: this pathway to a unionization that is in this ballot
Speaker 3: initiative leaves out the National Labor Relations Act, which is
Speaker 3: a national law that protects workers' rights to organize. That
Speaker 3: law is much stronger than question three. Question three completely
Speaker 3: leaves out some of the rights, for example, the right
Speaker 3: to strike when workers don't take.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry, you're talking about the National Labor Relation for.
Speaker 3: The National Labor Relations Act, Yeah, the Wagner Act. It's
Speaker 3: a national law that protects workers' rights to organize, and
Speaker 3: that would be stronger than this because because this isn't
Speaker 3: isn't national law, it's only state law. So state law
Speaker 3: would not give them as many rights. So what kind
Speaker 3: of leverage? You know, why would Massachusetts want a law
Speaker 3: that didn't give workers the basic right to strike? You
Speaker 3: know that leverage?
Speaker 4: Yeah, so if they got their foot in the door.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry, I just get clear because I know how
Speaker 4: I feel about it, and I've never heard in all
Speaker 4: my years of being a union activist and a union
Speaker 4: elected official that unions were trying to prevent other people
Speaker 4: to get to where we got by just being middle
Speaker 4: class people.
Speaker 2: And so.
Speaker 4: If they got the foot in the door by letting
Speaker 4: them unionize, then just by getting in the getting a
Speaker 4: foot in the door, they can work on those things
Speaker 4: that we're trying to prevent them to go to the
Speaker 4: next step.
Speaker 2: Which John, that's a good argument. But again, I think
Speaker 2: that Kelly has explained it a couple of times, and
Speaker 2: I think that I asked for your question kind of
Speaker 2: the same way. Isn't it better take half of me?
Speaker 4: I'm sorry, I.
Speaker 2: Nothing, No, no, no, that's fine.
Speaker 4: Just get on to you.
Speaker 2: That's fine. No, I just wanted to know. I'm glad
Speaker 2: you got the same answer that I did. Kelly has
Speaker 2: been very forthright with both you and me, and I
Speaker 2: appreciate you. Call. John, thank you. We've got the nine
Speaker 2: to thirty news, so I got to take a quick break.
Speaker 2: The only well, we got two lines open, one at
Speaker 2: six one, seven thirty and we have one at six
Speaker 2: one seven ninety. Fill them up. We'll get you in.
Speaker 2: You can ask whatever questions you would like of my guest,
Speaker 2: Kelly kabb Lamir. She's with a group called Mass Drivers United.
Speaker 2: This group, she says, about eighteen hundred to two thousand
Speaker 2: right share drivers are as well as other people who
Speaker 2: DoorDash drivers who basically make their living transporting in the
Speaker 2: case of Uber and Lyft, transporting people in the case
Speaker 2: of door Dash, and others importing uh transporting products. Kelly
Speaker 2: Cobb LAMIIR opposed to question three, which would allow Uber
Speaker 2: and Lyft drivers to organize. Her group is mass Drivers
Speaker 2: at night It feel free to join the conversation. Ask
Speaker 2: a question. Be back on Nightside right after the news
Speaker 2: at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1: If you're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ
Speaker 1: Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2: My guest is Kelly Cobb LEMIR. She's opposed to question three.
Speaker 2: She represents. She tells me some eighteen hundred to two
Speaker 2: thousand Massachusetts drivers in a group called mass Drivers United.
Speaker 2: She says that membership includes and if I'm wrong here,
Speaker 2: correct me, some Uber, some Lyft drivers, but also people
Speaker 2: who work for door Dash. I mean Uber Lyft drivers
Speaker 2: transport people. There are other drivers out there that transport documents,
Speaker 2: They transport food and things that are that are not people.
Speaker 2: But she feels that this question three does not go
Speaker 2: far enough to cover all of the concerns that any
Speaker 2: of these drivers might have. Let me go to Ryan,
Speaker 2: who's calling in from Fall River. Ryan welcome your first
Speaker 2: you're actually your second this hour. But I'm beginning to
Speaker 2: think you might be a first time caller, Ryan, because
Speaker 2: I can't recall someone from by from fall of Ryan.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I am a first time caller. I'm actually one
Speaker 5: of them members of massachus Drivers United along with.
Speaker 2: Okay, well, I just wanted we just give you a
Speaker 2: run of applause from my digital studio audience. I wanted
Speaker 2: you to be honored properly. You go right ahead. So
Speaker 2: I assume you're in agreement with Kelly. Kelly kobb Lamir
Speaker 2: tell us, tell us, why yes.
Speaker 5: So I've actually been dealing with a lot of issues
Speaker 5: with being a lift driver. I am a full time
Speaker 5: lift driver, where being uh classified as an employee would
Speaker 5: be very beneficial to me and to all the other
Speaker 5: drivers for simple reasons of like doing taxes. Having them
Speaker 5: be required to do all of our taxes and we
Speaker 5: just get the normal tax from that everyone else gets.
Speaker 5: That'd be very beneficial. So we're not having to sit
Speaker 5: there and go through all of our dass receipts that
Speaker 5: we have to get any service order receipts that we've
Speaker 5: done throughout the year, and we have to keep every
Speaker 5: single thing that we do and so that we can
Speaker 5: make sure we maximize.
Speaker 2: Let me ask you this, right, how would that change?
Speaker 2: In other words, if let's say you maintained your car
Speaker 2: as a normal business expense, you you would be you'd
Speaker 2: be able to take that as a tax deduction as
Speaker 2: long as this you know a certain amount of money
Speaker 2: based upon how much you made, But you'd have to
Speaker 2: be able to show that receipt uh to someone whoever's
Speaker 2: preparing your taxes. Sound to me like you're not a
Speaker 2: guy that wants to do the work of preparing your taxes.
Speaker 5: Well, yes, you do still have to have certain receipts
Speaker 5: doing normal taxes for everyone and even now, but doing
Speaker 5: basically being your own business owner, you're required to people
Speaker 5: far more information than a normal regular person doing a
Speaker 5: normal W two job does. All they get is they
Speaker 5: get their W two.
Speaker 2: Erstand there there were some people who liked the idea
Speaker 2: of being their own that's fine, there are some. But
Speaker 2: but you don't fall in that category, which is perfectly understandable.
Speaker 2: So that that makes it this attractive to you. So
Speaker 2: you're going to vote no on this question?
Speaker 5: Yeah, as well as there's also other reasons like I
Speaker 5: believe that the uh the type of unions that we
Speaker 5: will end up getting if the question gets voted yes,
Speaker 5: will essentially be or could potentially be yellow unions because
Speaker 5: of the fact that a lot of the h information
Speaker 5: and like h you call it, literature that went into
Speaker 5: how this question got written was heavily influenced by Uber
Speaker 5: and Lyft, not directly.
Speaker 2: Okay, you use the term yellow unions. I heard that
Speaker 2: term before. We mean that somehow Uber and Lyft is
Speaker 2: behind this unionization because it would be beneficial to them.
Speaker 2: Is that sort of correct?
Speaker 5: So if for anyone who doesn't know what a your
Speaker 5: union is, essentially it is a union that is funded
Speaker 5: or uh controlled by the company that is a union
Speaker 5: of so it all benefits the company and doesn't actually
Speaker 5: fully end up benefiting the the employees and union members.
Speaker 2: How much research did you have to do on this, Ryan,
Speaker 2: You're well spoken to come to your conclusion.
Speaker 5: I've been hearing everything and doing my own research for
Speaker 5: since I've started driving with Lift because it's been headaches
Speaker 5: since I've started because they do so much different things
Speaker 5: that affect me and affect how make money. Like Lift
Speaker 5: has what's called these bonus clouds on the map when
Speaker 5: you're driving around and you could be driving up to
Speaker 5: one and then all of a sudden just disappears out
Speaker 5: of your sight, and then you drive through the area,
Speaker 5: or you go out of that area for a few
Speaker 5: seconds and it just comes back in, but you try
Speaker 5: and go back and it disappears. Is things like that
Speaker 5: that could.
Speaker 2: Be So that sounds like the employ that It sounds
Speaker 2: to me if that's true, that uber Lyft is kind
Speaker 2: of playing a game.
Speaker 5: Right and so being able to have proper unions that
Speaker 5: are good and that what me and Kelly have been
Speaker 5: trying to fight for and our group has been fighting for.
Speaker 5: We're also employees as well, so we can have those
Speaker 5: type of proper type of unions. As being an employee,
Speaker 5: we could fight to have actual changes done to the
Speaker 5: app because currently the only way for any of us
Speaker 5: drivers to get hold of people is to call there.
Speaker 5: For me, as a lift driver, all I have is
Speaker 5: their driver Help Center call line, which goes to a
Speaker 5: foreign call center.
Speaker 2: Direct I'm deal with. I'll tell me I feel your pain.
Speaker 2: I've dealt with a lot of those foreign Can I
Speaker 2: tell you that that if you ask for what is
Speaker 2: called then here's a trick with some companies. If you
Speaker 2: say I'd like to speak with an onshore representative, they
Speaker 2: then will treat someone in the USA.
Speaker 5: Yeah, maybe I'll try that next time.
Speaker 2: Put it in your back pocket. Now, if they don't
Speaker 2: have any on shore representatives and they're dealing with everyone
Speaker 2: you know overseas, obviously that doesn't work. Hey, Brian, that
Speaker 2: was a great call. Thank you. I just got to
Speaker 2: get a couple more, well few more in here before
Speaker 2: the hours up Best Alive. It was a good call.
Speaker 2: Do me favorite shot listening to my program? Okay, I
Speaker 2: really mean that. How old are you are you selling
Speaker 2: your young guy?
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I'm actually twenty seven.
Speaker 2: Well good for you. This is this is the type
Speaker 2: of type of work that you like to do. Yes,
Speaker 2: good for you. Good for you. Work hard. Thanks, Ryan,
Speaker 2: appreciate it very much.
Speaker 5: Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 2: You're very welcome. Let me get take some courage when
Speaker 2: you're twenty seven years old to pick up the phone
Speaker 2: and call a talk show for Attleborough. John, you were
Speaker 2: next with Kelly kobb Lemire on Nightside, Right head John?
Speaker 6: All right, Dan, I listened to your show a lot
Speaker 6: when I'm out late at night. How are you tonight.
Speaker 2: I'm doing great. Nice to make your acquaintance. Have you
Speaker 2: called before?
Speaker 6: And no, I no, I don't believe I have.
Speaker 2: We'll give you a round of a clause too, John,
Speaker 2: It's good. What's your what's you're taking? What Kelly had
Speaker 2: to say?
Speaker 6: Well, I'm driving Uber for about seven weeks, so I'm
Speaker 6: relatively new at it, and I like it. I love
Speaker 6: it actually because I sit behind a computer all day
Speaker 6: doing it work, and I go out and drive four
Speaker 6: or five hours a night part time, and it's it's
Speaker 6: it's social time for me.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you talk to the human beings. I get that. Yeah,
Speaker 2: you talk to people.
Speaker 6: I get that exactly. So to clarify a couple of
Speaker 6: things about what you guys were talking about before the
Speaker 6: nine thirty YEWS book, Sure, relative relative to how much
Speaker 6: money of the fair that drivers receive, Yes, as far
Speaker 6: as Uber goes, I can't speak for Lift, but for Uber,
Speaker 6: we get between ninety two and ninety three percent of
Speaker 6: what the customer's fair is. And Okay, the way that
Speaker 6: I know that is that we can using the app,
Speaker 6: when our ride is done, we can actually drill into
Speaker 6: we can actually drill into that ride and they give
Speaker 6: you a high graph of this is how much you
Speaker 6: were paid, and this percentage went to insurance, this percentage
Speaker 6: goes to Uber for you know, corporate profit. This percent
Speaker 6: went to such and so, and they pick it down
Speaker 6: by the percent.
Speaker 2: Right something. So you're telling me that, you're telling me
Speaker 2: that as an Uber driver today. Uh and this isn't
Speaker 2: it because you're a first a Nubia, a new driver.
Speaker 2: This is what Uber drivers get if they drilled down.
Speaker 2: You're telling me it's ninety two, between ninety two and
Speaker 2: ninety three percent. Right.
Speaker 6: It does change a little bit from day to day,
Speaker 6: but they tell you when you take the wrine, you
Speaker 6: you know you received.
Speaker 2: Well, let me let me get Kelly's Let me get
Speaker 2: I just wanted to. We got a real difference here.
Speaker 2: Let me just get Kelly's quick comments on it. You
Speaker 2: don't need to debate it. But Kelly, uh, John is
Speaker 2: saying something significantly different than what we talked about before
Speaker 2: the news.
Speaker 1: What do you yeah?
Speaker 3: I mean the drivers that I talked to are not
Speaker 3: getting that much. You know, like I said, when they
Speaker 3: started out, they were getting a higher percentage. Now they're
Speaker 3: lucky to get uh you know, maybe thirty percent. Sometimes
Speaker 3: they sometimes they've worked all day and they've had two
Speaker 3: rides and they've made no money. So you know, are
Speaker 3: you relying John on what Uber and lifted telling you,
Speaker 3: or do you actually are you able to see from
Speaker 3: your app what the passenger paid and what you received?
Speaker 7: No, I am not able to check. We we only
Speaker 7: we only get to see what we get paid. But
Speaker 7: I've checked with riders. Geez, if you don't mind you
Speaker 7: telling me I'm getting paid twenty one dollars and seventy
Speaker 7: six dollars twenty one dollars and seventy six cents for
Speaker 7: this ride to Providence, just so that I can keep.
Speaker 6: Track, Do you mind telling me how Coober is trying you?
Speaker 6: And they'll I've had people tell me, oh, you know,
Speaker 6: twenty five dollars or twenty four dollars, twenty six whatever
Speaker 6: it is, and it checks out.
Speaker 2: You'll check out, right, John. I appreciated your call. This
Speaker 2: is a complicated subject, but I'm past my break and
Speaker 2: if I don't get a break, I'm going to be
Speaker 2: driving Uber next week.
Speaker 5: Okay, good night.
Speaker 2: Thanks John, Please call again. I enjoyed the conversation. Will
Speaker 2: we'll take a break. My guest is Kelly kobb Lemire.
Speaker 2: She's a group called Master Ivers United. They are against
Speaker 2: Question three, which would allow Lyft and Uber drivers to unionize.
Speaker 2: Will be back. We're going to try to get everyone
Speaker 2: in between now and ten o'clock. We're going to be
Speaker 2: talking at ten o'clock about the state of the presidential
Speaker 2: race two weeks from right now. You'll be hearing different
Speaker 2: broadcasters tell you this particular state went to this candidate,
Speaker 2: this particular state went to that candidate. So we are
Speaker 2: now within the two week and I thought tonight we'll
Speaker 2: check on state of the race and we'll talk with
Speaker 2: Spencer Kimball, Emerson College's premier and I mean truly premier polster.
Speaker 2: Great guy and a great polster. Back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 1: Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Speaker 1: nights Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2: Okay, we're getting tight on time. Let's see what we
Speaker 2: can do with everybody. We'll try a quick question of
Speaker 2: comment Mike and Boston. Mike. Next on Nightside, Dan, how
Speaker 2: are you. I'm doing great, Mike, We're tight on time.
Speaker 8: I'll get I'll be quick here.
Speaker 9: I'm a big supporter of unions, but I thought the
Speaker 9: whole business model for Uber was flexibility for the workers
Speaker 9: when they only work when they want. So how does
Speaker 9: that square with you know, uh, you know the ago
Speaker 9: debate will be independent contractor versus employee. And then I
Speaker 9: had a quick comment on waiting timerect.
Speaker 2: Go right ahead, So I mean sorry, no, go ahead, Kelly.
Speaker 3: Oh okay. Well, actually, Mike, thanks for the question. I
Speaker 3: think that's one of the things that Uber and Left
Speaker 3: have been really like pushing, Oh, you need flexibility, flexibility
Speaker 3: and benefits. You need to be independent contractors in order
Speaker 3: to have flexibility. But actually, flexibility is not tied to
Speaker 3: your employment status. You can be at W two worker
Speaker 3: and be flexible, you know. So to me, it's a
Speaker 3: fear tactic. You know, they're not going to put Uber
Speaker 3: and Lyft drivers, as you said, their model their business model.
Speaker 3: You can't put them on a schedule, so you know
Speaker 3: you are going to be flexible. So the fact that
Speaker 3: they're saying, oh, you know, only to maintain independent contrast,
Speaker 3: you know, the only way to obtain your UH or
Speaker 3: keep your independent contractor status is to be flexible, and
Speaker 3: you know, to be an independent contract and not an employee.
Speaker 3: It's just because they don't want to pay you. You know,
Speaker 3: they don't want to pay you to be an employee.
Speaker 3: They don't want to give you the benefits and the
Speaker 3: rights that they would pay you if you were an employee.
Speaker 3: So it's it's just a fear tactic.
Speaker 8: Yeah, fair point. One quick comment you mentioned about being
Speaker 8: paid for waiting time. My niece is a flight attendants
Speaker 8: one of the major airlines in the bomb. I was
Speaker 8: shocked to find out she doesn't get paid.
Speaker 9: Till the door closes, so forty five.
Speaker 8: Minutes while they're they're passenger, they don't get paid.
Speaker 4: It's amazing, right right.
Speaker 10: Yeah.
Speaker 3: My brother's an airline pilot, the same thing. They don't.
Speaker 3: They don't get any waiting time either. But you know
Speaker 3: that's negotiating. They're a union, so they could negotiate that,
Speaker 3: but for some reason they they don't.
Speaker 2: I got to keep rolling. Got to keep rolling it, Mike,
Speaker 2: Thank you much. I want to get to a couple
Speaker 2: more calls. Thank you, sir, appreciate it. Jannis and Melrose.
Speaker 2: Jane's got to be quick, real quick, go ahead, Jennis.
Speaker 7: One thing I didn't understand reading the ballet question is
Speaker 7: why the state is so involved.
Speaker 3: I mean, if ups drivers had an agreement with their company.
Speaker 3: Massachusetts doesn't have to approve it, does it. And they've
Speaker 3: all served the public. I just didn't understand there was
Speaker 3: a lot of arbitration with the state, and I didn't, I.
Speaker 2: Guess in order for them to they tried to get
Speaker 2: it through the legislature. Didn't work, and so therefore they're
Speaker 2: trying to They're trying to get the right to unionize
Speaker 2: through the.
Speaker 3: CRE and we don't. We don't. We want to do
Speaker 3: away with arbitration. So absolutely, yeah, Okay.
Speaker 2: Okay, thanks Jenny, good question, good clarification question. It was
Speaker 2: very good. Mary and Lynn. Mary next on nightside, we're
Speaker 2: gonna be able to get you in.
Speaker 4: Go ahead, Mary, h good night.
Speaker 10: Then, thank you for that opportunity that you've given us
Speaker 10: today to open, you know, and talk about this. Look,
Speaker 10: I'm gonna talk to you. I'm an uber driver and
Speaker 10: I'm gonna talk to you me personally. Look, I just
Speaker 10: got home. I left home this morning at six o'clock
Speaker 10: in the morning then and I just got back home.
Speaker 10: In order for me to make my goal, I have
Speaker 10: to work twelve to fourteen hours. Okay, okay, what it is.
Speaker 2: Let me ask you this, Mirry, if I can, and
Speaker 2: I don't mean to rush you. You've called in light.
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you did call in. How do you feel?
Speaker 2: How are you going to vote as an Uber driver
Speaker 2: on this question in favorable?
Speaker 10: Yes? Yes, we need is an abuse they charging our
Speaker 10: allergic to a people and giving us thirty percent and
Speaker 10: forty percent. Sometime. I drove fourteen hours Monday through Saturday
Speaker 10: and Sunday. I treat myself. I drive a hour in
Speaker 10: order for me to make money. I done thirty thousand
Speaker 10: ride with Uban, thirty thousand ride with Uber and a right.
Speaker 2: I'm flat out of time, but yours was a great call.
Speaker 10: You.
Speaker 2: You express yourself really well in the passion. We can
Speaker 2: hear it and feel it. Thank you for what you do,
Speaker 2: and please keep listening to Night's Cyber. We'll always be
Speaker 2: there for you, okay, and.
Speaker 10: I love to be a Uber driver.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right.
Speaker 10: I love you, Mary, I love the people, I love people,
Speaker 10: and I love my job.
Speaker 2: All right, Mary, I gotta let you go because I'll
Speaker 2: lose my job if I don't, if I don't break
Speaker 2: time for the news. Thanks Mary, Doug, Okay, have a
Speaker 2: great night. Thank you, Mary. Kelly. We got about thirty
Speaker 2: seconds left. I give you a thirty second elevator pitch
Speaker 2: why people should vote against question three.
Speaker 4: Go ahead, Okay.
Speaker 3: One of the biggest things that we didn't talk about
Speaker 3: but Ryan tapped upon is that we want a union.
Speaker 3: So we're pro union. We're just we're against this particular
Speaker 3: union because this union. Okay. The creators of this ballot
Speaker 3: initiative is IDG Independent Drivers Guild. They were set up
Speaker 3: in twenty sixteen by Uber. They receive large sums of
Speaker 3: funding from both Uber and Lyft and along with SEIU.
Speaker 3: So common sense will say a union must be financially
Speaker 3: independent of their employer, and this is not the case
Speaker 3: here when drivers.
Speaker 2: It's like the end of the ride here, so I
Speaker 2: got to stop you. We will talk to someone on
Speaker 2: the other side of this issue tomorrow night during the
Speaker 2: nine o'clock hours, during the nine o'clock hour, Kelly, I
Speaker 2: thank you very much, and we will follow this closely.
Speaker 2: Thank you very much for joining us.
Speaker 3: Thank you for having me on. I appreciate the time.
Speaker 2: You're welcome. Here comes the ten o'clock news. This is
Speaker 2: Nightside with Dan Rabiack. Right on the other Side'm going
Speaker 2: to be talking with Spencer Kimball about the state of
Speaker 2: the race. You know what race I'm talking about. He's
Speaker 2: a poster for Suffolk University.