Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden points to his doggie bag as he leaves the Buttercup Diner during a campaign stop in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Joe Biden just weighed in on California’s AB5, the job-killing law that went into effect in January and basically killed countless gig-worker jobs all over the state including such jobs as Uber drivers, entertainers, freelance writers and the like.
Biden has come out in favor of the law which millions have been fighting. This is a concern not just to California but across the country because the House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act which has language taken from AB5, so if Biden becomes president and a president like Trump isn’t there to block it, it may become law and put millions more out of work.
It’s an incredibly stupid law that will kill freelance work. They thought that it would force companies to hire workers rather than pay them as independent contractors. But that would require another level of expense for most companies, especially those just getting by, because then they would be required to do things like provide health insurance and other benefits that they wouldn’t have to now. So they wouldn’t do that, they simply wouldn’t hire the workers because they wouldn’t be able to afford to. Or they wouldn’t be able to hire as many and so all those people will lose their jobs.
People on both sides of the aisle have come out against it because it’s something they understand and it can impact and harm so many people.
Voters who know better let Biden have it, including potential supporters of his.
No please don’t support this. PLEASE. It’s hurting artists of all kinds terribly…a huge section of your supporters!
— Heather Provost (@psirulehpro) March 7, 2020
You are supporting a law that is devastating California! Writers, photographers, videographers, translators, indie musicians, special ed teachers, specialists of any kind have lost their livelihoods! Even the Dem lawmakers know it's a mistake. Read #AB5 and #AB5stories.
— PixelPosh (@SusanVoiceOver) March 7, 2020
I'm a self-employed #artist who performs at parties, fairs, corporate events, festivals. Many in performing #arts are seeing steep decline in jobs & bookings because of #AB5. Between that & #covid19, 1000s will be out of work. Most have NO safety net. https://t.co/j4Bi1qDAOL
— Alana Dill (@alanapaints) March 7, 2020
OMG, do you want all of us voting for Trump? This law is devastating all successful IC’s in California. Reconsider this… this is serious #RepealAB5
— Fabio Silva (@fabinsinger) March 7, 2020
So disappointed @JoeBiden and @DrBiden. Check out hashtag #AB5stories and you will see how this is a damaging, non-partisan issue in CA. #AB5 was poorly written and irresponsible and dismisses the concerns of many freelancers in CA. Do not support #AB5 in its current state.
— Alana Maiello (@AlanaMaiello) March 7, 2020
No, @JoeBiden, just no! It is destroying lives!!! You had my vote until just this second. Shame.
— Karen Peck (@KarenJeanPeck) March 7, 2020
Dammit Joe… you just lost my vote.
— Daniel Knighton (@DanielKnighton) March 7, 2020
Hey, lifelong Dem here. #AB5 resulted in me losing $1000 of work every month. Fewer companies want to work with me. I hate this law, even though I want greater worker protections. It needs to be repealed or fixed as soon as possible. Follow @cafwu for more info.
— Joseph Knoop (@JosephKnoop) March 7, 2020
Hard pass. #AB5 is hurting millions of freelance professionals in 150+ industries. Hitting women, elders, disabled, immigrants,creatives, performers, small bus entrepreneurs, health professionals, etc
Do you really want to throw 35% of workers/professionals out of work? Rethink— AndiHK (@AndiHK) March 7, 2020
OMG, do you want all of us voting for Trump? This law is devastating all successful IC’s in California. Reconsider this… this is serious #RepealAB5
— Fabio Silva (@fabinsinger) March 7, 2020
My mom either loses her income, or is forced to move out of CA to keep a 30 year career as an independent contractor, due to AB5. She's 6th gen Ca born. You just lost our votes. For the first time in my life I voted red. I felt sick to my stomach.#RepealAB5 #DemsAgainstAB5
— Leina caldwell (@Leina1redngold) March 7, 2020
Wow! I guess we will be voting for trump in California – signed, a professional single mom who has had no income for over 2 months
— free cat (@mc93823939) March 7, 2020
Hundreds of thousands of people losing work, could that flip areas of California to the GOP?
The anger against this is immense, there’s literally no one for it except Democratic politicians and union bosses.
And as our friends at Twitchy noticed, a lot of the folks yelling at Biden are folks who are pursuing careers as photographers, writers, musicians, artists and self-employed, the very people and careers that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed Obamacare would free you to pursue. And now a lot of those people are out of jobs in California and may soon be out of jobs across the country if this and Democratic politicians aren’t stopped.
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