Assemblywoman Gonzalez rallied with local workers in support of AB 5

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, joined local workers today to call for the passage of a bill she authored that would limit when businesses and companies could classify employees as independent contractors.

Assembly Bill 5 would codify worker protections established in last year’s state Supreme Court decision in the case of Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles. If passed, the bill would reclassify thousands of California workers like Uber drivers and exotic dancers as employees rather than independent contractors.

The Assembly passed AB 5 in May and it currently sits in the state Senate as companies attempt to carve out exemptions for specific industries like ride-booking and food delivery services. The bill has also drawn national attention due to support from Democratic presidential candidates and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Kamala Harris, D-California.

Janitorial workers and representatives of Rideshare Drivers United in Southern California, the United Taxi Workers Alliance, the Employee Rights Center and the Sierra Club joined Gonzalez at the rally and news conference to call for AB 5’s passage. The rally was Thursday morning at Waterfront Park.