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Massachusetts top court clears way for gig worker ballot measures to proceed – ETHRWorld

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Massachusetts top court clears way for gig worker ballot measures to proceed – ETHRWorld


Using contractors can cost companies as much as 30% less than hiring employees, various studies showed

By Nate Raymond

BOSTON : The Massachusetts top court on Thursday cleared the way for voters in the state to decide whether drivers for app-based companies like Uber Technologies and Lyft should be classified as independent contractors who would be entitled to some new benefits but would not be legally employees.

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected a labor-supported challenge to an industry-backed coalition’s proposal to cement the drivers as contractors. But it also said it would allow a dueling ballot measure that would allow the drivers to unionize to move forward.

The decision came ahead of closing arguments set for Friday in a trial in a lawsuit pursued by the state’s Democratic attorney general, Andrea Joy Campbell, accusing Uber and Lyft of misclassifying their drivers as contractors, not employees.

Should the industry fail in court and at the ballot box, Uber and Lyft could face a sweeping overhaul of their business models, one that lawyers for the companies have said could force them to cut or end service in Massachusetts.

Using contractors can cost companies as much as 30% less than hiring employees, various studies showed.

Uber and Lyft, along with app-based delivery services Instacart and DoorDash, have spent millions of dollars to support the ballot proposal that would cement the status of their drivers as contractors under state law.

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Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, a ballot measure committee whose contributors include the four ride-share companies, is also proposing setting an earnings floor for app-based drivers and providing them healthcare stipends, occupational accident insurance and paid sick time.

They’re pushing it after the industry through a $200 million campaign in 2020 convinced California voters to pass a measure similar to the one backed by the companies in Massachusetts, solidifying drivers as independent contractors with some benefits. Litigation challenging that measure is ongoing.

The Massachusetts court in 2022 blocked a similar industry-backed ballot measure. To hedge its bets this time, supporters gathered signatures for five versions of their ballot question, only one of which they will put before voters on Nov. 5. Final signatures for the ballot measure will be turned in July 2.

A separate proposed ballot measure supported by the Service Employees International Union’s Local 32BJ seeks to ask voters to allow Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize.

Conor Yunits, the industry-backed campaign’s spokesperson, called Thursday’s ruling “a huge win and a great day for rideshare and delivery drivers.”

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The court rejected a challenge by a labor-affiliated coalition called Massachusetts Is Not For Sale to Campbell’s certification of the industry’s question for potential inclusion on the ballot. The group said the proposal wrongly addressed not one policy question but several bundled together.

But Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian, writing for a 6-0 court, said the provisions in even the broadest of the five proposals “share a single common purpose: establishing and defining the relationship between the drivers and the companies.”

Chrissy Lynch, the president of the Massachusetts chapter of the union AFL-CIO and chair of Massachusetts Is Not For Sale, called the ruling “an unprecedented step back for the voters, workers, consumers, taxpayers and law-abiding businesses of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which should not be for sale.” (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Franklin Paul and Nick Zieminski)

  • Published On Jun 28, 2024 at 12:24 PM IST

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Massachusetts

Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”

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Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”


It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.

In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.

In Danvers, Mass. the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars on March 4, 2026.

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CBS Boston


In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.

Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”

The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.

“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.

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“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.

Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.

“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”

With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.

“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man. 

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran


Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.

The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.

Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.

“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”

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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.

“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”

Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.

At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.

“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.

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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.

“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.

The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.

“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.

Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.

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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”

With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.



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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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