State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R–Fresno) isn’t what one would call a fan Assembly Bill 5.
The law, born out of a 2018 California Supreme Court decision, reclassified a wide swath of California independent contractors into regular employees, changing their eligibility for wage rates and benefits.
Aimed at tech giants like Uber and DoorDash, which have utilized the independent contractor classification for its service providers, the law has also clamped down on small businesses that utilize contractors to serve as a key, albeit not dominant, section of their labor force.
For many workers, especially those in freelance professions, the law’s implementation was followed by companies cutting ties with their California contractors.
“Nearly two million Californians working as freelancers and independent contractors are at risk of losing their jobs due to AB 5,” said Senator Borgeas.
Thursday evening, Borgeas will host a town hall to break down the impact of Assembly Bill 5 at Clovis Community College.
“This haphazard law has negatively impacted dozens of industries in our state and limits those who want to maintain a flexible work schedule,” Borgeas said in a statement. “I look forward to hosting an engaging town hall discussion and fighting to repeal this bad law
Senate Republicans have taken a tactical piece-by-piece approach to repealing the law.
For his own part, Borgeas is leading the charge to exempt franchisors and franchisees from the Assembly Bill 5’s provisions.
Meanwhile, Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash launched a $90 million campaign to craft gig economy-specific rules via a November 2020 ballot initiative governing wages for their drivers and deliverers.
