Lyft is offering its drivers PPE, but they have to pay

[midian182]

A hot potato: With Covid-19 showing no signs of abating in the US, most companies are providing their employees with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks. Ride-hailing giant Lyft, however, is selling PPE to its drivers through an online store, and that’s not gone down well.

The Lyft Store contains the usual PPE products: masks, hand sanitizers, etc. The company says it doesn’t mark up the items, meaning drivers are getting them at wholesale prices. A bottle of sanitizing aerosol, for example, is $5.99, while the same product is $7.99 in CVS and $8.99 in Target.

Drivers, of course, don’t expect to have to pay Lyft for PPE equipment and say the company should be providing it for free, especially at a time when the number of people using ride-hailing services has declined. Lyft requires drivers to wear face coverings and frequently sanitize hand and car surfaces.

Jesus christ. Lyft is now selling PPE to drivers.

They should be providing this stuff for free since March, yet here they are selling it to drivers. https://t.co/7Rfmv1oH0J

— Gig Workers Rising (@GigWorkersRise) July 16, 2020

Lyft says it has spent $2.5 million on purchasing hundreds of thousands of PPE items for drivers. “To date, we have distributed over 150,000 sanitizing products and masks to drivers at no cost to them,” said a Lyft spokesperson. “Our most active drivers will now receive a free safety kit, consisting of a reusable cloth face covering, sanitizer, and disinfectant.”

Some drivers say the number of PPE items Lyft distributed was woefully low, and after the company closed many of its service center hubs at the end of March, they’ve struggled to get hold of free PPE—even the remaining hubs often run out of items.

Gig economy companies have long argued that they’re not employers, and some refuse to train workers or hand out PPE in case such actions are used to argue that they really are employers in potential lawsuits. Things could change in California, though, where a lawsuit seeks to classify gig workers as legal employees and not independent contractors.

Image credit: Alina Koval

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/86037-lyft-drivers-arent-happy-about-selling-them-ppe.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Oh waaah. Boo boo. Cry me a river sunshine.

My employer doesn’t provide me masks. Or hand sanitizer. I have to buy everything required, and I mean HAVE to, as in forced to, because not doing so means loosing my job.

I have to pay market prices. $1 a mask if you can find them, let’s not get into the prices of hand sanitizer. If we could get them at wholesale 0 profit prices from our employer that would be a significant financial relief.

These guys can go pound sand. You work as a contractor for a taxi app. It’s an easy job, and a million people can replace you. When I worked as a contractor, we provided all our own equipment and tools.

 

[OneSpeed]

It's a tax write-off.

 

[seeprime]

It's a tax write-off.

I suspect that most Lyft drivers are in the 15% tax bracket in the US. This means they subtract their business expenses from their gross income, not net income. They'll only get back a percentage of what they spent, not the entire amount. it's always been that way from my small business. So, every thing needs to be added up, pencils, phone service, meals while traveling,etc. Save all receipts and you can do a bit better at tax time. But you never get back all your expenses.

 

[Uncle Al]

What a bunch of whiners ..... you can get free masks everywhere being made by little old ladies ... and you can get an N95 rated mask on Amazon for anywhere between $6 to 12 so what's the issue?

 

[candle_86]

What a bunch of whiners ..... you can get free masks everywhere being made by little old ladies ... and you can get an N95 rated mask on Amazon for anywhere between $6 to 12 so what's the issue?

It's entitlement, the problem affecting the world right now, someone told them they are special and they believed it.

 

[Joray K Joseph]

Woah what is this comment section coming to, I didn't know some many Techspotters really hate their fellow man

 

[Ben1978]

Woah what is this comment section coming to, I didn't know some many Techspotters really hate their fellow man

If you can just remember that some people are hardwired to believe in individual responsibility, and others to believe much more in natural equality, and then remember that English speaking countries are mostly die hard capitalist, then, as a member of the latter group, you'll be able to understand why many people think a multi billion dollar company both need not treat its employees as such and also need not provide them with the means to protect their passengers from passing on a potentially fatal contagion.

 

[Ben1978]

Oh waaah. Boo boo. Cry me a river sunshine.

My employer doesn’t provide me masks. Or hand sanitizer. I have to buy everything required, and I mean HAVE to, as in forced to, because not doing so means loosing my job.

I have to pay market prices. $1 a mask if you can find them, let’s not get into the prices of hand sanitizer. If we could get them at wholesale 0 profit prices from our employer that would be a significant financial relief.

These guys can go pound sand. You work as a contractor for a taxi app. It’s an easy job, and a million people can replace you. When I worked as a contractor, we provided all our own equipment and tools.

Isn't you providing your own equipment and tools evidence of your skill as a craftsman? And isn't that rewarded by an above average hourly rate (which Lyft drivers don't get)? I think for those who drive part time to make a bit of money Lyft etc are great. But those who do it full time should be given full employee rights (because I'm guessing lyft would be sunk without those people). And both subsets should be provided with masks by Lyft.

 

[scavengerspc]

I provide my entire staff with masks, gloves, surface wipes, and my own homemade hand sanitizer.
Of course, I'm not a selfish bastard that has decided not to even acknowledge the people that make us all money or that they are even employees.

It's not a requirement. Its a common good faith courtesy.
Thankfully there are far more businesses like me and fewer like Lyft.

 

[Cubi Dorf]

No where to buying cleaner product in my country right now. I may sign up lyft driver so I can buy.

 

[Cubi Dorf]

If they give free there will be many new lyft driver who never drive. to get valuable resources to then sell for huge profit

 

[bandit8623]

Oh waaah. Boo boo. Cry me a river sunshine.

My employer doesn’t provide me masks. Or hand sanitizer. I have to buy everything required, and I mean HAVE to, as in forced to, because not doing so means loosing my job.

I have to pay market prices. $1 a mask if you can find them, let’s not get into the prices of hand sanitizer. If we could get them at wholesale 0 profit prices from our employer that would be a significant financial relief.

These guys can go pound sand. You work as a contractor for a taxi app. It’s an easy job, and a million people can replace you. When I worked as a contractor, we provided all our own equipment and tools.

I agree to a point. I think we need to not mandate masks. that way we are all free. dont want a ride? dont get one. this way noone is forced.