The shares of the economic concert groups are immersed in the comments of the U.S. labor official

More than $ 15 billion was deducted on Thursday morning from America’s largest economic concert companies, after the U.S. labor secretary suggested some workers should be classified as employees.

There was a 5 to 11 percent drop in the share of Uber and Lyft pioneers and DoorDash food delivery services when Marty Walsh told Reuters he believed “in many cases” employees should be treated as employees.

“In some cases [workers] they are treated with respect and in some cases they are not, “he told the news agency.” And I think it needs to be consistent across the board. “

Investors took the comments of the department head who had a major impact on the interpretation of U.S. labor law as a major threat to companies whose business models are based on the controversial status of the “independent contractor” of workers. This will allow key costs (such as fuel and maintenance) to be borne by the employee, and will usually have less protection and benefits.

“These companies make profits and income and I don’t [going to] condemn anyone for that, because that’s what America is all about. . . but we also want to make sure that success reaches the employee, ”Walsh said.

He was organizing meetings concert economy companies to discuss the issue in the coming months, Reuters reported.

“Uber believes we should pursue policies to improve self-employment, not completely eliminate them,” the ride-sharing team said after commenting on Walsh’s comments.

“But more important than we think is what drivers think. Surveys show that the vast majority of app-based employees want to remain independent because they have the flexibility to work when, where and how they want to work with the flexibility that a traditional job cannot. “

Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean, head of policy at DoorDash, said her drivers – who call her Dashers – work only an average of four hours a week, and called for a discussion of “modern policies” about work.

“Dashers have told us that they value when they choose and how to win,” he said.

Lyft has not returned a comment request.

The Department of Labor’s pay and hours division is responsible for ensuring that employees meet national criteria for being employees or independent contractors. The Trump administration wanted to apply a more lax interpretation of the criteria, but the Walsh Department of Labor has proposed canceling the changes and waiting Approval of the White House.

Gig companies have struggled in a more localized way to get reclassified. especially in California. Companies have warned that changing the pattern of classifying employees as employees will lead to higher prices for customers and fewer and fewer jobs for drivers. They argued that employees should adhere to model changes rather than the current login for jobs.

Uber calls it the “third path” to employment that lies between the formal status of workers and the organization of less stable independent contracts, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the UK, the country’s highest court forced Uber to reclassify its “employee” drivers – a specific UK designation that offers certain benefits such as holiday pay and pension.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2017 that there were more than 55 million concert workers in the U.S., and that number is expected to rise significantly since then.

During the pandemic, when demand for some of the services of concert workers dropped, many workers eventually resorted to emergency programs specifically developed by the government.

“If the federal government did not cover workers in the concert economy,” Walsh added, “these workers would not only lose their jobs, they would not have unemployment benefits to keep the family going.[and]we would have a much more difficult situation across the country. “

Walsh’s comments are the latest sign that the Biden administration intends to prioritize the issue of workers ’rights. An during Congress address on Wednesday, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his support for the trade union movement, saying, “The middle class built this country. And the unions build the middle class.”