PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of New York Taxi Workers Alliance, on Intro 276
0:23:17
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141 sec
Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of New York Taxi Workers Alliance, testified in support of Intro 276, which aims to provide job security rights to Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City. She emphasized the devastating impact of deactivations on drivers and the lack of an independent review process.
- Highlighted that over 80,000 Uber and Lyft drivers currently work without job security
- Explained that deactivated drivers still face fixed expenses like car loans and insurance, even without income
- Criticized the current deactivation process as being controlled entirely by the companies, with no consideration for drivers' work history
Bhairavi Desai
0:23:17
Good morning.
0:23:19
Thank you so much.
0:23:20
My name is Batavita Tsai.
0:23:22
I'm the executive director of the 28,000 member New York taxi workers alliance.
0:23:27
And I'm I'm speaking specifically on intro 276.
0:23:32
This is an incredible bill.
0:23:36
This is a bill that will give first time rights to over 80,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City who have worked for far too long without job security, a workforce that goes to work every single day at a beginning at a negative.
0:23:53
If you've been deactivated, you still have to pay for the car loan and the insurance.
0:23:59
You're living life without any income coming in, but your expenses remain fixed.
0:24:05
A workforce that is dealing with the public a job where you can be the victim of racially motivated, you know, other biased biased motivated complaints.
0:24:18
And in the drop of a dime, you lose your job.
0:24:22
The loss of a job for every single American worker can be catastrophic.
0:24:28
But for workers who not only go without income from that loss of job, but also have to pay for expenses out of pocket, It's absolutely devastating.
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You wake up, ready to go to work, you go on your app, and you've been told that you don't have a job.
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It could be for a reason for a complaint that was filed against you 6 months ago, even a year ago.
0:24:52
And to add insult upon incredible injury, there is no independent process, a process that is not controlled by the companies themselves.
0:25:03
The current process Uber will tell you on its website, Uber gets to dictate which drivers can even access it.
0:25:12
At this point, if you've been a driver for 10 years, you've had an incredible record none of that is gets used in your favor.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
0:25:21
I just asked that you submit the rest of your testimony in writing, and I just wanna remind everyone here that recording is prohibited in this space.
0:25:31
So we ask that you not record.
0:25:34
Thank you.
0:25:35
And thank you.
0:25:35
You could submit the rest in writing.
Bhairavi Desai
0:25:38
Thank you.