A Queens lawmaker said on Thursday that he expects his legislation, aimed at strengthening protections for Uber and Lyft drivers from being kicked off the platforms through “unfair deactivations,” to receive a vote before the current City Council’s session ends in two weeks.
City Council Member Shekar Krishnan told amNewYork he believes the council will take up his bill, Intro. 276, during its last full meeting scheduled for Dec. 18.
“We are moving forward with all deliberate speed to get this done before the end of the year,” the council member said. “We’re in the final stages of reviewing and finalizing legislation. My expectation is that by the end of this year, we’ll have this done.”
The Council member made the prediction following a rally with for-hire-vehicle drivers who say they experienced unfair deactivations — what they say is Uber’s and Lyft’s practice of suddenly firing them without an explanation or appeals process in place.
The legislation is designed to guard against wrongful firings by placing the burden of proof on the apps in deactivation cases, requiring them to follow the standard for “just cause” in such instances, mandating 14 days’ notice, and instituting an independent appeals process.
Proponents of the bill argue the current appeals process is controlled by the apps because it is run by the Independent Drivers Guild, which is funded by Uber.
“Intro. 276 makes clear that every driver in this city must be given notice, must be given an opportunity to be heard, must know the charges against them before they are deactivated, not after,” Krishnan said. “It makes sure that process is happening in front of a neutral arbiter and agency. So we don’t have a situation where Uber and Lyft are the prosecutor, judge and jury.”
Throughout the rally, Krishnan and New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai stood shoulder to shoulder with drivers who shared stories of how they lost their livelihoods due to what they identified as unfair deactivation. They said the practice hampered their ability to pay rent, buy groceries, foot utility bills, and make car payments.
Saif Aizah, a driver who claims he was deactivated by Uber, stated that he was unfairly removed from the app after the company falsely accused him of fraud, leaving him with no means to defend himself.
“I am drowning in so much debt that I filed for bankruptcy because of what unfair deactivation did to me,” Aizah said. “Unfair deactivation ruined my life.”
Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft did not immediately respond to amNewYork’s requests for comment.
However, the IDG argued that the bill would have the opposite effect of its intended purpose.
In a Thursday statement, IDG President Brendan Sexton claimed that by seeking to implement an independent appeals procedure, the measure would give the apps complete control over the process by moving it away from the guild.
“We will not support any bill that hands power back to the companies or strips away the rights we spent years winning,” Sexton said. “There is an easy fix the City Council can make to protect hardworking rideshare drivers – and we urge the bill sponsor to accept our amendments to do just that,”
