Advances in technology and social media have changed how we do everything – from the way we communicate, to how we shop, eat, and work. We live in a modern, on-demand society that prioritizes convenience and provides a brand new job market for independent workers like me.

As a driver for both Uber and Postmates, I’m one of the over 50 million Americans who chose the freedom of independent work over the constraints of a cubicle. As that number continues to grow, our antiquated laws need to adapt to the new, modern workforce by providing us the benefits and protections we need while allowing us to keep the flexibility and independence we want. 

These new app-based opportunities give us the ability to make our own schedule and work on our own time. The flexibility of being an independent worker allows me to spend time with my family and enjoy my personal life without worrying about the strict schedules or deadlines that come with a nine-to-five desk job. Most importantly, during an economic downturn due to the pandemic, this work has given me the opportunity to provide for myself in a time of need. 

As a young adult planning for my future, however, my lack of access to benefits like health care and retirement leave me in a constant state of worry. As a 24-year-old, I am lucky enough to still be included in my parents’ health-care plan. However, when I turn 26, I will become ineligible to be on their plan and will need to find a “plan B” that will protect me for years to come.

One solution that lawmakers should explore to help workers like me is a portable benefits system. A portable benefits system would allow independent workers to stay independent while simultaneously offering necessary benefits such as health care, retirement, and paid medical leave. Independent workers value their flexibility, and this plan would respect that flexibility by staying with workers even if they changed gigs or started working for another platform. 

Both the worker and their chosen platform would pay into this portable benefits system, and if the worker decided to change platforms their new platform would pay into it. It is a common sense way of solving a problem that a third of the nation’s workforce faces.

That is why our lawmakers in Colorado, such as incoming U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, and my own representative, 6th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, need to work together in a bipartisan way to provide our modern workforce with a modern benefits system.

Some of our nation’s lawmakers have recently spoken out in support of the portable benefits system, such as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, D-Washington. I can only hope that Colorado’s lawmakers follow their lead by advocating for benefits for independent workers and working together to find a solution.

App-based workers deserve to enjoy the protections that so many other employees have while preserving the independence we love. It is time to establish a portable benefits system and support the workers who our communities depend on every day.

Fabio Cordeiro came to Colorado in 2017 to work on political campaigns and as a community organizer. He lives in Littleton.