as uber and "life in the and ly, our expenses are quite high, whether it is paying for insurance for our cars are health insurance.[speaking n language] [voice of interpreter]: so i'm here today to support ab5. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon, i'm a workers rights attorney and state policy director for the national domestic workers alliance. it advances the rights of domestic workers nationwide, and it has over 200,000 members. they have supported the enactment of nine workers bill of rights and one municipal ordinance. despite these gains, our members are still extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

domestic work is now online, and as such, one of the industries, they're part of the gig economy. although the gig economy is considered a gateway to innovation, students for california workers, for domestic workers, it has meant that workplace protections that they fought for for decades are no longer. some offer house cleaning services. many handy workers do not earn a living wage, absorb all expenses. providing no recourse to challenge unfair employment issues, such as harassment and health safety issues, they lax flexibility and autonomy on the platform, and they not only control the wages they earn, but subjects them to unquestionable surveillance systems. many of the workers are sitting in this room, and i urge you to please

support the resolution in favor of ab5. >> chairman: thank you. i'm going to call a few more names. [names called] >> chairman: next speaker. >> good people of this honorable chamber, as i was studying at university of california berkeley, i worked for uber and lyft tas i pursued my education. they are ma are manipulative. this is a job, gentlemen -- this is a platform that is taking over the entire taxicab

industry. an industry in which people were able to make around $20,000 a month if they paid the $500,000 fee to have a medallion. this is a job that people good money to have, and now we're about to give it up to autonomous cars and this ab5 law may usher uber and "life in the lyft's abo usher in these cars in place of all of these workers. about 140,000 operators are in san francisco alone, and if this bill passes, and uber replaces us all with these driverless cars, that 140,000 people who potentially will be on the streets of our state of california. i want everyone to be treated fairly. i want people to be able to have medical insurance. but if you're making $20,000 a month, you would be able to afford to buy your own medical insurance. >> chairman: thank you.

next speaker -- i think there are very few people left in the south light court. there is a line outside, if you're in the south light court, and you're interested in speaking, i don't have anymore cards to call, so i would encourage those folks to come upstairs and get in the line. next speaker. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: hello, good morning, my name is mase delgado, and i'm a member. i live in work in san francisco. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: i am here to support the resolution in favor of ab5. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: as a house cleaner, i'm

concerned about the growth of cleaning companies. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: such as handy, which dispatches workers to clean in different houses through internet-based apps. these cleaners are not allow to negotiate their own salaries. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: they work without labor protections and benefits. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: this means that all risks are transferred from the employers to the workers. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: such as taking tax payments, the cost of cleaning products, transportation and without steady pay rates. [speaking spanish]

[voice of interpreter]: "handy" is lowering labor standards and is also encouraging companies to do the same. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: if "handy" continues to operate as it does, the impact on the lives of the workers will be devastating. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: that is why i am supporting the resolution presented at the san francisco board of supervisors. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: that endorses ab5 by dynamics' decision means many workers would be recognized as employees. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: and will have access to the minimum wage,

overtime, and other benefits. thank you. >> chairman: gracias, next speaker. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: hello, good afternoon, my name is hema ascension. i am a domestic worker, and i'm a member. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: i live and work in san francisco. i am here to support the resolution in favor of ab5. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: all workers deserve protections under labor laws. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: in california, there are over more than 300,000

women, mostly immigrant immigrants... [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]:...who work as house cleaners, nannies, and home care workers in private homes. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: nearly two million homes in california depend on domestic workers. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: as an immigrant, i would also like to have the opportunity to venture into business work. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: however, there is no flexibility when companies impede us the basic benefits that all workers deserve. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: to obtain a minimum wage,

a safety net for when we get injured at work or when we are sick, and the ability to have a real voice at work. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: and the ability to have a real voice at work. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: companies in the 21st century economy must provide each worker, regardless of classification, with a firm path to the middle class. span. [voice of interpreter]: anand a fair chance for theamer. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: regardless of a worker's classification, basic protections include a minimum wage, unemployment compensation, and a

workplace free of discrimination and intimidation. [speaking spanish] [voice of interpreter]: based on my experience, i ask you to support the resolution in support of ab5. thank you. >> chairman: gracias. next speaker. >> thank you, supervisors. quite a moving hearing here. high name is steven hill. i'm a long time 25-year resident of san francisco, and also a journalistist, author of seven books, and two books on the gig economy, and the impact on workers, including "raw deal: how the uber economy and run-away capital are screwing the american workers." that book came out in 2017, and people said you don't get the gig economy. it is going to be cool. now you're seeing what has happened. the question now going forward is: what do we do

about it? we've heard from drivers and domestic workers, but there are other types of gig workers out there. there are companies like "up work" and all of these free-lancers that are working. the worker classifications are becoming more and more complicated. we've got to find a way to unify this and move forward. and even if we pass ab5, which is a good first start, but it is only a start, for a lot of the part-time w-2 workers right now, they only get the basic form, social security, medicare, unemployment, they have no health care, paid vacation, paid sick leave, any of these sorts of things. so even if we pass ab5, it is just the beginning. where we really need to go is what's called a portable safety net. other countries are already doing this. basically what that means is you -- every worker gets an individual security account.

like some workers in san francisco have a social security account. and every business that hires that worker, that business must contribute into that security account for that worker a pro-rated amount to the number of hours they've worked for that business. if they worked 10 hours a week, they would get 25% of a full-time safety net -- [buzzer] >> i just want to apologize. i'm going to have to leave for another meeting. but i wanted to thank everyone who has come to speak out at this important hearing, especially the drivers and the domestic workers, and reassure you that i'm very committed to following up on the important information provided here to ensure that gig workers, especially in san francisco, are treated fairly, and i'll continue to work with supervisor mandelman and my colleagues on that. so thank you very much.

>> chairman: i look forward to talking with you more, mr. hill, about the portable protections. have other cities moved forward with those? >> other cities are looking at it. other states have introduced laws, including washington, new jersey, and new york. it has been tough to get the companies to come to the table to do this sort of thing. i think here in san francisco, this is where this gig stuff has started. we can do this near locally and not wait for anyone else. and we can set the national model that then can be scalable to elsewhere. this idea has also been endorsed by president barack obama and also by many other organizations. this would allow workers to work wherever they are, however they work, and accumulate from each business part of the financial funding they need to have their safety net. >> chairman: thank you. >> thank you. >> chairman: next speaker.

>> really, okay, two minutes? let's see. i am a 21-year resident. i lived only five blocks from not only this chamber, but uber's headquarters on 1455 market. they want to keep us independent contractors which i find hilarious because the one damned thing we cannot do as an independent contractor is set our own rates. they have been cut time and time and time again over the last however many years that these crappy bags of greed companies that the city of san francisco has enabled to run ram shod. one of the things i'm devastated is watching these people ask questions to the supervisors over what power you have over these companies that you helped enable as the leaders of this city?

really? seriously? are you kidding? like...you guys vote on your own raises, for christ sake, and they're cutting our pay. but we're an independent contractor because why? because our schedule is flexible? give me a break. this city is overrun with homeless people, and one of the ways people become homeless before the 2008 housing crisis, it was medical bills. so as an independent contractor, all of these drivers who are sitting 16plu16plus hours a day, basically helping destroy their own body end up -- they can't even get unemployment if they companies decide to basically just flush them. and we have no recourse whatsoever. we have zero control. and the people say, why do you keep doing what you're doing? well, you know what? we have to eat and we have to pay rents in one of the

most expensive parts of the entire nation. please do something. [buzzer] >> chairman: thank you. and thank you, supervisor mar. next speaker. >> hi, everyone. thank you for calling this hearing and doing such thoughtful research beforehand. that means a lot to me. my name is lauren swigger, and i have lived in san francisco since 1990, but was fraudulently evicted and pushed out in 2013, and since have had to move twice. that's when i turned to driving for lyft in 2014, to make a stab at my skyrocketing rent. i've always driven part-time, so it is easy for me to see how earnings have changed over time, just doing simple calculations. i drive part-time because i have physical limitations that keep me from being able to sit still for more than three

or four hours or drive for more than three or four hours, and i also care for my daughter that has some special needs. might rent has almost tripled since losing that apartment, and yet our actual earnings have plummetted. i want to point out when we talk about wages, we're always talking about gross earnings, before our expenses, which are everything. and we don't -- along with that, we don't have a single worker protection. i know you know what they all are. and like many, you have fought for them. but uber and lyft have deceived us every step of the way. our work has been going to the bottom. i'm a single parent, and i have to accept the fact that i may be in an accident during my shift later today or i may not come home at all. and knowing there would be

no sick leave or disability, no recovery compensation, nothing for my daughter is heartbreaking and extremely stressful. in 2017 i needed surgery, and i continued to drive. the surgery would have kept me from being able to drive for six months. [buzzer] >> chairman: thank you. next speaker. >> i'm a member of the national domestic workers alliance. i'm a bay area nanny, and have been a member of the domestic work force providing child care for 19 years. i began using platforms like urban sitter and others to find care jobs. my hope was they would be a way for me to find work with no dependency on

agencies. however, i soon realized that finding reliable employment this way has numerous challenges. gig economy platforms have changed the way domestic work is found, mediated, and paid for. companies like care.com have created problems in care work and created new ones. these companies have become arbitors of domestic work standards. they standardize our wage wages. working conditions are now shaped by ratings, reviews, access to the platform, and distribution of jobs via algorhythms, which is technology that didn't exist just a few years ago. we must rely on platforms like care.com, which leads the industry in providing jobs for domestic workers. based on my experiences, i want to urge you to support the resolution in

support of ab5. i believe that ab5 is essential to protecting vulnerable workers in the gig economy, and to keep companies that have little regard for the well-being of their workforce and the state's economy accountable. aside from driving, domestic work is the largest work force in 2030 projection. as such, i urge this committee to uphold workers' rights and support the resolution for ab5. >> chairman: thank you. next speaker.

>> i currently cannot afford to see a dr. to get a prescription for basic, inexpensive blood pressure medication without jeopardizing my ability to keep a roof over my children's heads. just imagine for a moment how that feels. i ask a san francisco board of supervisors to use what gravity you have to help bring these companies back down to earth. thank you very much for your

time. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hello, thank you for having this hearing. i am a long time corporate accountability campaigner. i drove with uber for the last two years, so i can't understand what it is like from that perspective, but i thank you understand what the issues are. just a few other points i want to make first that any solution to this issue of the plight of uber drivers cannot be found without also looking at the plight of taxi drivers in the city of san francisco. they are very much interlinked. i'm not very happy that hasn't been brought up today because it is very, very important, i thank you all know. the city and the board of supervisors and the city of san francisco is looking at this issue. uber and lift are responsible for this situation that the taxi industry is facing here. the second thing i want to say is we need solutions.

eighty-five is good, but it is necessary but not sufficient. what needs to happen is that in 2013, uber, went through an army of lobbyists and they got themselves to be regulated by the state of california. that needs to be reversed. it needs to be brought back to the city of san francisco and the municipal transportation corporation. m.t.c. has separated -- for example, the rates that they pay taxi drivers today is $2 -- $2.75 a mile. do you know how much uber is paid? seventy cents a mile. that is a quarter of that. i think there is a lot of issues with the city of san francisco setting living wages through these things. they also have a limit on the number of taxis out there, and this is uber and lift.

the problem is, they have overrun our streets. they have taken over our curbs, they are taking over our sidewalks, they're taking over our roads -- [indiscernible] >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i was a computer engineer and four years ago, i decided to go back to school and because i didn't want to be stuck under student loans, i had to drive uber just like other students. we used to make ends meet by driving 30 to 40 hours a week, but every year, it gets more and more expensive. we take the risk and the blame for fines when we have to wait five minutes to pick up passengers from extremely and possible locations -- extremely impossible locations.

[indiscernible] it is falsely advertised this is a flexible job. for two weeks, they have been pushing drivers to sign up a petition by saying, save california flexibility. we are pushed to drive 70 to 80 hours. i don't see where the flexibility is. we have to work 80 hours a week, but there are some that get paid 50 millions a year. we have more drivers, and make sure that we are replaceable at any time when they want with their self driven cars. whether we are independent contractors or employees, we are workers and are human beings. as the system is broken, and it is your responsibility to fix it thank you. >> thank you. next speaker.

>> good afternoon, supervisors. i am a member of guild freelancers, unit of the pacific media workers skilled, cwa 39521 i also chair the guild's legislative and political committee. we are a union of full-time and freelance journalists, writers, editors, photographers and interpreters, translators, and other communications professionals. we fully support the aim of ab 52 preventing employers from his classifying workers as contractors instead of as employees. i wanted to expand a bit on that collective bargaining issue. is one that receives very little visibility outside our own lengths of free length -- freelance and contract workers. we are considered business owners. by trying to bargain collectively with clients, we have been seen as violating federal antitrust law.

but the ninth circuit court of appeals has looked at it from a little bit of a different aspect as the national employment law project reported in june of 2018 , the ninth circuit has held that the national labour relations act does not preclude states from establishing collective bargaining rights for independent contractors or from empowering cities to do the same respectfully, i urge that you, your board colleagues, in the city attorney explore the feasibility of living in san francisco in that direction peak >> i wasn't uber driver and i am president of the local 784 in san francisco.

on june 17th, 1893, a group of employees decided the fear of losing their jobs decreased wages and the lack of any benefits became too much, so together, they fought against the inequality they faced. today, i stand in front of you on behalf of drivers to say, haven't we done enough? today, june, 28th, 2019 -- 2019, 126 years later, we are here debating the same issues we were then. haven't we learned anything? our employers have learned how to prevent the labour laws that our sisters and brothers have fought, died, and burned in buildings to establish and protect us. after 126 years, will it take --

what will it take for humans to be treated equally? i drove for two and a half years until it became financially unsustainable. i fortunately had my other job. a gig economy job in the entertainment industry where back in june, -- back in june 2017, my brothers and sisters were able to gain the rights they deserved. this is all the drivers are asking. is to see the deception which has happened here and again the rights they deserve. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> supervisors, i'm a district two resident. first of all, i would like to express my solidarity with gig economy workers who make an average of $9.21 an hour. that is not just below the minimum wage, that is below arkansas, that is below south dakota, if we are going to be

the vanguard of protecting the rights of workers, we need to commit to paying these folks who are majority people of color, people who have a college education, fair wage and benefits. i urge you to support this to make it happen. second, per the public safety theme of the committee, i would like to highlight the public safety issue that is raised by gig workers stopping their cars in the middle of busy traffic lanes to drop off fares, pick up food, et cetera. is a bicyclist, i am at constant risk of injury and death because of these practices, and why? i believe it is due to a lack of enforcement. i spoke to supervisor stefani last night about this issue and she informed me that there are 50 motorcycle cops who are responsible for this enforcement throughout the city. excuse me, but why the help do we have 1900 cops on payroll if only 50 will only enforce the law? i understand that these folks are really strep -- stretching their limits in order to make ends meet, you know, you have to jump out of your car, drop off

your fair, at your food and go, but i really don't think that we can compromise the law in order to accommodate these practices. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hi, i work at the rental car at the s.f.o. recently i have been made aware of the tee and c. program with uber and vehicles on san francisco property. i would like to know that -- why that is being allowed. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> this is federal law. and employer means a person who has 15 or more employees in the current or preceding calendar year or, a private membership of

a club or other labour organizations that exist from taxation under section 50, part two, except during the first year after march 24th, 1972. persons having fewer than 25 employees in their agency shall not be considered employers, or plan so to engage in with employees to participate in which events for the purpose of -- in whole or in part with dealing with employees -- [indiscernible] a member of such a labour organization, 25 or more during the first year as of march 24 th, 1972, 15 or more thereafter, sets a labrador his labour organization.

a subordinate body through which such employees may enjoy membership or become affiliated with such a labour organization. the terms that employees need to employ by an employer except that -- [indiscernible] unless the employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate employees are prospected employees' religion observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of employment of -- >> thank you. time is up. thank you. [indiscernible]

>> thank you. next speaker please. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i want to start out by appreciating all the personal testimonies from the workers. i think i even had to pause for a moment and soak that in. there are some real hardships that folks are dealing with. my name is mario. i'm a staff person with a chinese progressive association. we are members of the progressive workers' alliance of san francisco workers representing immigrant workers and various sectors from domestic work, day labour, restaurant work, retail, caregiving, now salons, massage parlours just to name a few. today you have heard a lot of testimonies on how a.b. five will improve the lives and work conditions with thousands of gig

workers, particularly drivers, which we firmly support. however, it is important that you understand that this classification impacts other industries across low-wage worker spectrums. every day, low-wage workers in the city are not afforded the same protections and rights that other employees -- miss -- they are being misclassified as independent contractors. in san francisco, low-wage workers are struggling for survival, as you have heard already today. the cost of living is skyrocketing, will access to dignified employment is disappearing. as an alliance of community-based organizations that serves some of the most marginalized and exploited workers in san francisco, we call on city government to enforce our neighborhood laws, hold corporations accountable for how they treat workers and support the gig workers in all

those contingent workers bypassing this resolution. we must hold companies and corporations accountable for how they treat the people that do the work, that generate millions and billions of dollars in revenue. by not taking action, to regulate the gig economy or contingency work, you normalize and perpetuate -- [indiscernible] >> thank you. next speaker. >> dear members of the san francisco board of supervisors, thank you for the opportunity today to provide public comment at the hearing. my name is victoria chan and i am the worker's rights community advocate at the asian law caucus we are a nonprofit community-based organization in chinatown promoting and advancing the legal and civil rights of low income and immigrant communities. i'm here today to urge the san

francisco board of supervisors to continue its leadership in shaping and creating some of the strongest labour laws the country has seen by supporting workers' rights in passing a resolution in support of a.b. five. at the heart of a.l.c.'s worker rights program is our semi semimonthly clinic where we provide free and language confidential consultation. we have seen terrible employers misclassified workers and a whole range of context, despite continuing to control meaningful aspects of their work. some examples are filipino residential caregivers who work around the clock caring for elderly and disabled residents, but who have opposed independent contractors and are not giving any -- given any paid sick leave to care for themselves. airport shuttle drivers who work 15 hour days, six-7 days a week to try to cover thousands of dollars in business expenses they are made to pay each month,

costs and gas with no reimbursement because they are misclassified. nail salon and massage workers who are made to pay for the supplies and uniforms they use, again without reimbursement due to misclassification. and of course, uber and left drivers are working multiple jobs to make ends meet and try to cover benefits that are not expended to them because they are quote unquote and dependent contractors. the decision is a breath of fresh air in the fog of misclassification. a.b. five seeks to share -- sure it up in the face of attacks from employers. as a leader in the state -- [indiscernible] >> thank you. next speaker. >> hello, good afternoon. my name is erica. i'm the worker's program coordinator at some canon south of market community action network. we want our city government to enforce and regulate our labour

laws, supporting gig workers' rights bypassing resolution to support state assembly bill five i have stated in an earlier presentation that under california law, workers are either employees or independent contractors. the recent california supreme court ruling in the case will enable more workers to be classified as employees rather than considered independent contractors. those who are considered independent contractors do not have the right to receive basic workers' rights such as minimum wage, over time, paid sick leave or state disability insurance for job protected leave of absences due to pregnancy, for example. these are just some of the rights that workers classify as independent contractors do not have. by reclassifying these workers as employees, they will be able to have workers' rights and protection. i also want to emphasize that there is a broad range of contingency workers outside of just the rideshare drivers.

this can include domestic workers, day labourers and much more. workers are being exploited and we must ensure that all workers have rights. once again, i'm here to support the push to pass the san francisco resolution to support a.b. five. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i'm with the south of mac market community action network. today we seek to encourage government to enforce and regulate labour laws, supporting gig worker rights or passing resolutions to support a.b. five it is important to know that there is a broader range who are often misclassified and impacted by this action, such as domestic workers. this business model of exploiting workers lowers the overhead of these types of corporations and enriching another sector of tach and spiking our cost of living here

in san francisco. the struggles of low-wage and immigrant workers in these sectors must be addressed and alleviated. they deserve a real wage, benefits, transparency, and a voice. because gig workers report their workers are not employees were not even workers, but rather independent contractors then suppose a business partners, these gig workers do not receive basic civil rights such as minimum-wage, paid sick days, or assistance with work-related injuries. often these workers must pay for their own work expenses such as car maintenance and gas, supplies. the recent california supreme court ruling of this will help many workers who are misclassified as independent contractors by using stronger test to discern whether workers truly are independent. a.b. five has been the -- is in the legislature now and will help codify the ruling into law. many of these workers could be recognized as employees and finally get their rights in full we need action on the board of

supervisors. please support. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: my name is veronica, i am a domestic worker and i am here with -- [indiscernible]. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i live and work here in san francisco and i'm here to support the resolution in support of a.b. five because all workers deserve basic employment rights. >> next speaker. [laughter]

[speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: my name is alma, i work as a domestic worker and i'm a member of -- [indiscernible] and a live and work in san francisco. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i'm here to support the resolution in support of a.b. five. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: because all workers deserve protections under labour laws. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: and the misclassification of independent contractors, it is time for it to stop. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> my name is edward escobar, i am providing advocacy for gig workers' rights globally and i'm

a full-time driver for five plus years, 11 different companies. we are the drivers unite movement. we are the tip of this. and the alternative labour movement and we are standing here today against uber and lyft and the tech titans of silicon valley's oppressive nature and undermining the hard-fought victories achieved by labour activists that have come before us. those that fought and died for the rights of workers around the world to rise up in protest and violation of workers' rights. together we stand here today for positive change in the workplace , for not just drivers, but for all workers. as we face the daunting challenge of shaping the future of work, the a.i. w. supports a nonpartisan effort to identify concrete ways to address the challenges of american workers that are facing due to the changing nature of working the work in the 21st century. there are several trends that are increasingly -- increasing impacting workers today that will bring about dramatic transformation in the years ahead such as the weakening

social contract between workers and employers, the increased importance of providing access to education and skills to better transition workers in preparation for working with the new technologies and increased automation as they roll out, which is now. finally, the most challenging, this is the extreme profit motive of corporations to produce short-term profits rather then a long-term value, which is severely destabilizing the workforce in the long run. in closing, these powerful words from mario salvia. there is a time when the operational machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part. you have to put your bodies upon the gears, upon the wheels, up on the levers, upon all the apparatus and you have to make it stop. you have to indicate to the people who run it that unless you are free, the machine will be prevented from working at all drivers unite. support a.b. five. >> next speaker.

>> good afternoon, supervisors. i am with bright line defence. i'm very appreciative of supervisor mandelman calling this hearing today and connecting if you pieces that call for local hiring, and we have seen a running theme states about transparency and data, and it is amazing to me that we have tech companies to talk about these levels of efficiencies. these are basic things we need in order to make this work and be sustainable to begin with. i appreciate the work that is being done here today and also the work of the voices involved. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. [speaking spanish]

>> voice of translator: good morning, my name is maria. i'm a domestic worker and a live and work in san francisco. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i'm here to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five, the widespread employee misclassification must end. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: because all workers deserve basic employment protections under the law. thank you. >> next speaker. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: good morning, my name is joan. i'm a domestic worker. [speaking spanish]

>> voice of translator: i live and work in san francisco and i'm here to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: all workers deserve labour protection. thank you. >> next speaker. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: good morning, my name is grace, i am a domestic worker. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i live and work here in san francisco and i'm here to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five. [speaking spanish]

>> voice of translator: the problem of employee misclassification should end. we all, as workers, deserve labour protection. thank you. >> next speaker. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: good morning. i am a member of the san francisco women's collective and the day labour program. i live and work here in san francisco and i'm here to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: the widespread employee misclassification must end. all workers deserve basic labour protection. thank you. >> next speaker.

[speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: good afternoon, my name is carmen. i am a domestic worker and member of -- [speaking spanish] -- i live here in san francisco and i also work here. i'm here also to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five. employee misclassification must end and all workers deserve basic labour protection. >> next speaker.

[speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: my name is lou. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i am a domestic worker and also a member of -- [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: i also live and work in san francisco and i'm here to support a resolution in favour of a.b. five. [speaking spanish] >> voice of translator: the widespread issue of employee misclassification must end because all workers deserve basic employment protection. thank you. >> next speaker.

>> good afternoon, supervisors. i am with the san francisco labour council. i think it is really important how much society is getting ripped off here, you know, the employers responsible for approximately 7% of social security and medicare taxes and that is not getting paid. if we continue this line, the entire -- all of society will fail. social security will fail, medicare will fail, and in a day and age where we are also talking about medicare over all, we cannot afford for this type of employment arrangement to continue. it is just not sustainable, and the worst could happen again. i recently just rewatched " grapes of wrath" and i walk around san francisco and i am like, well, we are so close.

we are so close society, security, medicare, safety programs, that they are not paying their fair share of. it is really horrific what they are doing, and i urge you to think about the future, the society that the children will grow up in, and making sure that the employers do their fair share. i just heard on the radio that some internet mobile just bought a 71 million-dollar house in beverly hills. these people aren't getting their social security and medicare being paid for. they will wind up on the streets this type of employment arrangement allows for a future skid row, and that can't happen. not in this city. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker.

>> hello, supervisors. i really want to thank you for listening to all the testimony today, supervisor mandelman for your leadership, the whole committee, all the cosponsors. i think mariko said it. i have been organizing workers for a long time. i was very moved and disturbed by what i heard from the drivers our union, we have a number of members that drive for over and lyft to make ends meet and work for handy, cleaning houses to make ends meet, and for sciu california, finding a pathway to organize and building power for these workers and allowing them to raise standards in the industry is one of our top priorities. i'm very encouraged the board will move a resolution to support this. beyond that, we have laws on the books and we need to make sure that these workers are getting the san francisco minimum wage, getting the healthcare, getting the sick days, all the things we believe in as a city. we have never let an army of corporate lawyers stand in our way in the past and he can't let that happen again now.

that is why it is so important you called for this hearing and we are shining a spotlight on what is happening. >> thank you. next speaker. >> thank you, supervisors. i'm with i am his emphasis with would taxidriver and i'm here to speak for myself. i am here in support of a.b. five four gig workers. there is a question of how the a.b.c. test applies to taxi drivers, and it is not as simple as a.b.c., especially when it comes to taxi medallion holders. that question a side, on the question of employee status for cabdrivers, i would support a.b. five under three conditions. one of which is that uber and lyft drivers not be exempted, two that they don't receive any kind of special treatment, some kind of third category of worker , which is the type of thing that is going to undermine

and erode workers' rights across-the-board over time, and the third condition is that the regulatory discrimination that taxidriver his face must end because unless we have a level playing field, we simply cannot compete under any conditions and certainly not under conditions of employee status. all the money in the taxi industry, aside from the tips the drivers get, come through the metre. if that money isn't there, how do you pay, you know, the worker we need to have a level playing field. the taxi industry must continue to exist. we serve people without cell phones, we serve people without credit cards, we serve people who can't use goober or left or don't want to use uber or lyft. we serve the disabled community, we have to be there. the last thing i will say, just an aside, something has to be

done for the cabdrivers who have purchased their italians. they have been the victims of bad policy, of unfair competition, and now the credit union -- >> thank you. next speaker. >> this is likely to be an an unpopular opinion, however, there's a great deal of abuse and there is a great deal to be said for entrepreneurship, much of the employment we witness generated in the gig economy resembles the development of underdevelopment and the adoption of third world grade economic practices, bundled together by a high-tech app. however, flooding what is a service economy with low-wage workers increasing labour elasticity through unregulated immigration has deadened -- has had economic consequences. it places downward pressure on the wage scale, even as consumer prices are rising. labour is presently being paid

at the lowest rate in 30 years. workers seem to miss the connection. if you refuse to take in the labour market, that all you can do is continue to legislate further increases however, the dollar has a tendency to depreciate in value even as the wage increases. i believe that many of these gig companies are losing money, not turning profit on operations, if that is the case, it will be interesting to see how they pick up employment related cost. >> thank you. are there any other members of the public would like to speak on this item? seeing none. public comment is closed. colleagues? any final comments? vice chair stefani? >> thank you. i wanted to thank you both for bringing this hearing. i think it is an excellent discussion that must be had, and thank you to the presenters.

i thought the presentations were great. it did feel like law school. and most of all, thank you to the public for coming out and for sharing your stories. they are heartbreaking and obviously something needs to be done. i look forward to looking closer to a.b. five and how we can do something at the board of supervisors to effectuate change with the income equality growing in not only san francisco, was quickly in san francisco, we absolutely have to do something. thank you for coming today and sharing your stories with us. thank you. >> thank you. supervisor walton? >> thank you. again, i want to thank you for calling this hearing. both you and supervisor mar. this is important. i want the public to know, i want everyone in this room to know, thank you for coming out and testifying today and talking about the issues and the concerns, and what is happening as you go to work every single day. i want everybody to know that we

have been bound by state law and we are working to find ways to attack what state law has and it is our job to make sure that you are protected. it is our job to make sure you get all the benefits of employment. we are going to work hard to do that. there are some things we will be continuing to try and do to push the state. we are regulated by state law in terms of what is classified as employment. we are regulated by state law in terms of wood some of these -- what some of these gig companies are allowed to do. it disgusts me. we will continue to work on ways to regulate these companies so that you can get the employment opportunities, all of the benefits and employment that you deserve. and my commitment for that to happen. thank you so much for coming out here and