Lyft drivers

In a significant stride toward improving working conditions and wages, ride-share drivers across Massachusetts are fervently championing a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to grant them the right to unionize.

Labor activists, elected officials and drivers for ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft joined together on the steps of the State House last Wednesday in vocal opposition to legislation introduced earlier this year that would change the employment structure of app-based drivers. The action was immediately followed by a virtual hearing on the matter.

In April, the Boston Drivers Guild filed “An Act Establishing a Rideshare Driver Bill of Rights,” a petition for collective bargaining rights, coverage of work-related expenses, paid sick leave and overtime equal to regular Massachusetts employees.