Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice MORE joined Uber and Lyft drivers protesting in San Francisco on Tuesday to advocate for a bill classifying them as protected employees.

The South Bend, Ind., mayor's appearance comes a day after he unveiled a new plan to expand gig workers’ rights, specifically targeting large tech companies like Uber.

“I’m here because where I come from, gig is another word for job, which means if you’re working a gig, that makes you a worker, and you ought to be protected as a worker,” Buttigieg told demonstrators.

“That means you deserve a minimum wage. That means you deserve protections from workplace and sexual harassment. That means you deserve overtime protection. And yes, that means you deserve a union,” he added.

In his plan, Buttigieg hammered tech companies for labeling gig workers “independent contractors,” which can limit benefits.

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The White House hopeful also called for a guarantee for all workers to have the ability to join a union, specifically citing independent contractors such as Lyft and Uber drivers. The plan proposes “multimillion-dollar penalties for employer interference in union elections and workers’ rights.”

“They say that these technology companies are the future of the American workforce. I think that might be right,” Buttigieg said Tuesday.

“So do we want a future where there are no protections, no unions and workers are not treated as workers? Or do you want a future with justice? Do you want a future where you have the rights afforded to you by that representation? Do we want a better future for everybody working, whether it is full time in a traditional economy or not? Will we stand up for that? I think the answer is yes,” he said.

Several Democratic presidential candidates have appeared at protests demanding unions or other worker protections in the lead-up to the primary as the party works to win back blue-collar voters who historically have backed Democrats but voted for President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE in 2016.