Throughout this pandemic, millions of people have lost their jobs and have looked for ways to make money.

California Proposition 22 looks to benefit people that work for companies such as Doordash, Instacart, Postmates, Lyft and Uber.

These companies hire employees known as independent contractors. This allows them to take advantage of their employees by not giving them anything from minimum wage to health benefits. Proposition 22 has benefits for people on both sides from different perspectives that will make this proposition difficult.

For students or even people with a job, flexibility makes doing jobs like this more manageable. On the other hand, people who are unemployed or just looking for a better opportunity would want to have health benefits and full-time jobs.

The first thing people would look for is pay, which would help them with a little or a lot depend on their given situation. Rachel Snavely, a second-year student at California State University San Bernardino and Doordash delivery driver since July, said, “I could come home with $30 or close to $200, in the same amount of time, just depending on the day. Even if you were to look past the inconsistency, it isn’t enough to get by on.”

With the inconsistencies, she highlights it can become difficult for someone that possibly needs to pay for tuition or bills, let alone food and gas. People who work for such a business may also have other jobs that seem profitable because they must pay for gas while delivering food or people do a given destination.

If passed, this proposition would help because pay ranges are from “$2 to $10 depending on how far it is or if it’s a really big order,” said Snavley. It is beneficial for workers because not every order is big. At times people will get as little as four or five items, and not every driver will be short.

Trouble starts if the proposition passes, the independent contractors could choose when, where and how much they work, but takes away people’s ability to receive benefits. Out of the thousands of independent contractors, not all of them will have health insurance and if they do, sometimes, they still must pay out of pocket for certain things.

On the flip side, if voted against, drivers would have less choice of when, where and how much but would gain key benefits such as healthcare and sick leave. This can be a problem for people who have a job or going to school as the possibly tight scheduling will diminish their chances of having an opportunity with these companies.

This is best described by Rachel when asked if she had worked another job while working for Doordash and how it helped her, she said, “I do it now while working for Mary Pickford. Doordash is usually a busy evening-night, which is the usual shift because I have school in the day. Doordash is only something profitable when it’s busy and dashing around my work schedule makes it hard to get the full benefit of it. But, when I need extra, it’s there whenever I need it. I can’t do that at any other job, and I can’t write my schedule anywhere else.”

When people expect Uber and or Lyft, it is anticipated that it will be safe, convenient and possibly enjoyable. According to The New York Times, in 2018, Uber reported over 3,000 sexual assault cases, with nine people murdered and 58 killed in car accidents.

People shouldn’t be afraid of who they get in a car with or possibly delivering groceries to their homes. Proposition 22 would require recurring background checks, new mandatory safety courses for drivers, no tolerance for alcohol and drugs and it would become a crime to impersonate a driver.

Safety doesn’t just help the customers but also the independent contractors as they would be protected from possible discrimination and sexual harassment. Also, around the holidays, events like Coachella, and even during weekends, services like Uber and Lyft become vital as they allow people who drink to get home safe.

Working with such companies as Doordash and Uber has only taken off, so has customers’ use. With restrictions possible, if voted against, people would have to find other ways to make money and during COVID, this can be difficult.

A poll completed by the University of California, Berkley found that of over 5,000 votes, 39% were for proposition 22 while 36% were against it and 25% were undecided.

Both sides’ impact will significantly change how people can work for those companies, possibly get health insurance, and even how quick and convenient your groceries or ride gets you home.