Programs — Greater Boston Debate Series

Most Recent Debate

Uber/Lyft: Employee v. Independent Contractor

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST | Hosted Online Only

Join us on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, for a debate between Shannon Liss-Riordan, Partner, Lichten & Liss-Riordan, and Conor Yunits, Executive Vice President, Issues Management Group, moderated by Katie Johnston, Reporter, The Boston Globe, on the issue of whether Uber/Lyft drivers should be employees or independent contractors.

Speaker Bios:

Shannon Liss-Riordan has represented working people as a labor lawyer for more than 20 years. Liss-Riordan has brought and won groundbreaking lawsuits that have shaped the law protecting workers in the food service, cleaning, adult entertainment, trucking, and other industries. She is currently representing workers in a number of cases against “gig economy” companies that save on labor costs by misclassifying employees as independent contractors. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College, Liss-Riordan co-founded Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C. in 2009.

Conor Yunits is the Executive Vice President at Issues Management Group (IMG). Since January 2021, Yunits has worked with app-based rideshare and delivery drivers through the Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work and the Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers ballot committee.

He has previously served as spokesperson for the campaigns of Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, and ballot question, legislative, and mayoral campaigns throughout Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, Yunits was Director of Communications for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and a legislative aide to Representative Thomas P. Kennedy at the State House.

A lifelong resident of Brockton, City of Champions, Yunits earned a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a Master of Science in Public Affairs from the McCormack School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Old Colony YMCA.

Katie Johnston writes about work and income inequality for The Boston Globe. She has been part of the Business team at The Globe since 2009, covering labor, the gender wage gap, low-wage workers, and racial and ethnic divisions, and the societal impacts of wealth inequality. Johnston also edits The Globe Magazine's annual Top Places to Work section. Previously at The Globe, she wrote about travel and tourism, worked as an arts editor overseeing entertainment and music, and wrote comedy and dining reviews. Her work has received awards from the Labor and Employment Relations Association, the Colorado Press Association, the Oregon Newspaper Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Johnston graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder.