The passage of Proposition 22 in California was a serious blow to workers in the state, and the disaster could soon spread nationwide.

The new law came in response to AB5, a California law that required companies to give many freelancers and gig workers the employee benefits that they deserve, such as health care, But Prop 22 made it so drivers for the dominant ride-hailing and delivery app corporations – Uber, Lyft, Doordash, and the like – will be exempted from AB5 regulations and in turn relegated to a perpetual underclass

These drivers will be permanently paid poor wages and receive paltry benefits. Prop. 22 also leaves drivers no recourse in the California legislature, since it includes the requirement that any future changes to the regulatory framework governing driver treatment be passed with a 7/8ths majority, making a mockery of the notion of democratic governance.

The measure succeeded, even in the deeply blue Golden State, thanks to massive ad spending by Uber and Lyft, which topped $200 million. It was the most ever spent on a ballot initiative in US history, and the ad deluge came with copious amounts of misinformation. The barrage was paired with the corporations threatening to pull out of the state should Prop. 22 fail.