Defeat Uber and Lyft Bosses’
Prop 22 in California!

California is the land of propositions, which purport to allow “the people” to vote on laws, as if under capitalism the ruling class won’t run and rig the vote. While on occasion some limited reforms may be passed, more often the rulers use propositions to get popular “approval” for reactionary attacks on workers, black people and immigrants. In the 1990s, reactionaries pushed through a racist triple whammy, with Prop. 187 in 1994, which sought to exclude undocumented immigrants from schools; Prop. 209 in 1996, which banned affirmative action for women and racial/ethnic minorities in education; and Prop. 227 in 1998, which effectively banned bilingual education.  A generation earlier, in 1978, Prop. 13 wrote strict limits on property taxes, the main source of revenues for public schools, into California’s constitution. Together these propositions were a massive attack on the right to quality education for all.

This year there is a new reactionary proposition on the ballot. A vote of national importance for the working class is Proposition 22, which is written on behalf of the bosses of the Uber, Lyft, Doordash and Instacart “app-based” taxi and delivery companies. The measure would roll back AB5, a California law enacted last year that required app-based employees to be given the same rights and protections as any other workers under the labor laws (see “Finally! California AB5 Law Says App-Taxi Drivers Are Workers,” Internationalist No. 58, Winter 2020). Prop. 22 is a naked cynical attempt by the gig economy bosses to maintain the scam that their millions of employees are “independent contractors,” so that they can continue to dictate low pay and miserable working conditions. Vote No on Prop 22!

Other propositions on the California ballot where we recommend a position are:

Proposition 20 is supported by the cops – if passed it would eliminate the right of parole for many prisoners and require DNA collection for certain misdemeanors. No on 20!

Proposition 15 is a partial rollback of the 1978 Prop. 13, which led to huge cuts to education and social services. Prop 15 would allow big commercial properties to be taxed at current market values. If passed it would increase funding for community colleges and public school districts, though charter schools would also get money. We say: No to charter schools, but Yes on 15.

Proposition 16 would repeal Prop. 209 that banned affirmative action. YES on 16.

Proposition 17 gives the right to vote to those who have finished their prison term but are on parole. Prisoners and convicted felons should have full voting rights. Yes on 17.

Proposition 18 allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries and special elections if they will be 18 at the time of the next general election. We’re for lowering the voting age to 16, so Yes on 18.

Proposition 21 allows local governments to adopt rent control on a greater number of housing units. Yes on 21.

Proposition 23 calls for increased staffing and higher standards for dialysis clinics, which are a vital lifesaving treatment for workers and poor people. Yes on 23.

Voting down Prop. 22 will stave off the attack by billionaire “gig economy” employers, but securing labor rights will require an intense unionization drive. This, together with the fight for quality education, housing and health care for all, and to put an end to the racist system of capitalist injustice, will never be solved through the ballot box – what’s needed is hard class struggle leading to a socialist revolution that will establish a centralized planned economy. ■