Uber, Lyft and DoorDash push back against California gig economy rules
5 years, 2 months ago

Uber, Lyft and DoorDash push back against California gig economy rules

CNN  

CNN — Uber, Lyft and DoorDash have taken the first big step in their $90 million campaign to fight legislation that could make it more difficult for the companies to classify their drivers as contract workers. The gig economy companies announced Tuesday a California ballot measure that would exempt them from the state legislation, but offer drivers some benefits. Last month, California’s governor signed into law a bill known as AB-5 that would require a business like Uber to prove its contract workers are free from company control, perform work that is outside the usual course of business for the company and haveindependently established businesses providing similar work, in order to be classified as such. The ballot measure, called theProtect App-Based Drivers & Services Act, includes a guarantee that drivers would make 20% more than the minimum wage, and 30 cents per mile for expenses such as gas and vehicle wear and tear. Companies such as Uber and Lyft say the California legislation threatens their drivers’ ability to work flexible hours.

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History of this topic

The Sneaky Tactic That Makes Uber and Lyft Worse for Everyone
55 years ago

The Sneaky Tactic That Makes Uber and Lyft Worse for Everyone

Slate  

Last year, former U.S. On Tuesday, which was Blind Americans Equality Day, the National Federation of the Blind held a rally at the San Francisco headquarters of Uber and Lyft to highlight this persistent discrimination and to call for change, with participants accompanied by guide dogs demanding that companies “Respect Our Right to Ride.” The two corporations have been sued …

Uber and Lyft drivers remain independent contractors in California Supreme Court ruling
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Uber and Lyft drivers remain independent contractors in California Supreme Court ruling

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that app-based ride-hailing and delivery services like Uber and Lyft can continue treating their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The ruling upholds a voter-approved law passed in 2020 that said drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft are independent contractors and are not entitled to benefits like overtime pay, …

Court says California regulation on Uber drivers is justified, but labor fight continues
7 months ago

Court says California regulation on Uber drivers is justified, but labor fight continues

LA Times  

A California law classifying Uber and other ride-hail and delivery drivers as employees rather than independent contractors is constitutional, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday. “From a long-term and legal perspective that’s not just about Uber, that’s the important takeaway here,” said Veena Dubal, a UC Irvine law professor who studies the intersection of law, labor and …

In final round of gig drivers’ fight over Prop. 22, California Supreme Court to decide if it stays
7 months, 2 weeks ago

In final round of gig drivers’ fight over Prop. 22, California Supreme Court to decide if it stays

LA Times  

A passenger sits in an Uber vehicle as others are lined up to pick up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport. The justices, however, appeared to be open to a compromise of sorts offered up by Michael Mongan, solicitor general at the California Department of Justice, in which the state Legislature would amend Proposition 22 to allow drivers access to …

California Supreme Court to hear arguments on Uber, Lyft-backed Prop. 22
7 months, 2 weeks ago

California Supreme Court to hear arguments on Uber, Lyft-backed Prop. 22

LA Times  

California’s Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on the constitutionality of Proposition 22, the voter-approved law that classified drivers working in the gig economy as independent contractors rather than full-fledged employees. Supporters of the law celebrated the ruling as a “historic victory for the nearly 1.4 million drivers who rely on the independence and flexibility of app-based work to earn …

Uber, Lyft strikes: Thousands of drivers across LA and Las Vegas walk out on Valentine’s Day
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Uber, Lyft strikes: Thousands of drivers across LA and Las Vegas walk out on Valentine’s Day

The Independent  

✕ Close Related video: Thousands of Uber, Lyft drivers going on strike The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

Federal government contemplating changes to industrial relations laws, including a 'right to disconnect'
11 months ago

Federal government contemplating changes to industrial relations laws, including a 'right to disconnect'

ABC  

If you've ever found yourself replying to a 10pm email, or fielding a phone call from the boss during a Saturday afternoon barbecue, and wondered "should I be getting paid for this? The federal government is contemplating a range of new changes to industrial relations laws, including a 'right to disconnect', aimed at protecting workers who feel like work is …

Column: Two Uber drivers read the fine print — and won millions for California gig workers
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: Two Uber drivers read the fine print — and won millions for California gig workers

LA Times  

Pablo Gomez has been a full-time Uber driver since 2019. I was like, ‘Holy s—, this could be a lot of money!’” There are some 1.3 million gig workers in California, according to industry reports, including over 209,000 Uber drivers and 200,000 DoorDash drivers. “If you are a full-time Uber Eats or Grubhub driver you’re getting over a thousand dollars, …

Minnesota governor vetoes higher pay for Lyft, Uber drivers
1 year, 7 months ago

Minnesota governor vetoes higher pay for Lyft, Uber drivers

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Tim Walz on Thursday vetoed a bill that would …

California court rules for Uber, Lyft in ride-hailing case
1 year, 9 months ago

California court rules for Uber, Lyft in ride-hailing case

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — App-based ride hailing and delivery companies like Uber and Lyft can continue to treat their California drivers as independent contractors, a state appeals court ruled Monday, allowing the tech giants to bypass other state laws requiring worker protections and benefits. The ruling mostly upholds a voter-approved law, called Proposition 22, that said drivers for companies like Uber …

Labor proposal could upend rules for gig workers, companies
2 years, 2 months ago

Labor proposal could upend rules for gig workers, companies

LA Times  

The stock market reaction to the proposed change for contracts workers was immediate, pushing down shares of Uber and Lyft, both of which rely heavily on “gig” workers. The U.S. Department of Labor rule, which could take months to take effect, would replace a scrapped Trump-era standard that had lowered the bar for classifying employees as contractors, workers who are …

Uber Has Shown Us the Future It Wants for Employment
55 years ago

Uber Has Shown Us the Future It Wants for Employment

Slate  

Ever since Uber and Lyft successfully bankrolled Proposition 22 in California, a ballot measure that carved gig workers out of traditional employment and all the rights and protections it conveys, those companies and others have been trying to replicate the victory in other states. With the backing of the Coalition for Workforce Innovation, a lobbying group made up of not …

Uber and Lyft drivers are on strike today. What riders need to know
3 years, 5 months ago

Uber and Lyft drivers are on strike today. What riders need to know

LA Times  

Passengers make their way to the rideshare location at LAX in November 2020. Rides through Uber and Lyft that are already hard to secure these days — and sometimes eye-poppingly expensive — because many drivers stopped working in the pandemic may become even more difficult to reserve Wednesday, when some drivers will be on strike. An organization that represents rideshare …

Uber and Lyft drivers call for federal intervention in their gig worker labor fight
3 years, 6 months ago

Uber and Lyft drivers call for federal intervention in their gig worker labor fight

CNN  

New York CNN Business — It’s been more than a year since San Francisco Uber driver Lucas Chamberlain was knocked unconscious by a would-be customer who attacked him during an argument over whether or not the patron was old enough to ride solo. Representatives from both groups said they want the NLRB to reconsider ruling on a gig worker complaint …

Uber and Lyft told they must switch to electric cars in California
3 years, 7 months ago

Uber and Lyft told they must switch to electric cars in California

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Both Uber and Lyft, which together control nearly the entire market share for rideshare services in California, have already …

Truckers fall under California gig economy law, court says
3 years, 8 months ago

Truckers fall under California gig economy law, court says

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s gig economy law applies to some 70,000 truck drivers who can be classified as employees of companies that hire them instead of independent contractors, giving them a right to overtime, sick pay or other benefits, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned a ruling last year by a federal …

Why gig economy workers aren’t cheering Uber’s about-face just yet
3 years, 9 months ago

Why gig economy workers aren’t cheering Uber’s about-face just yet

CNN  

London CNN Business — Uber has made a major concession on labor rights in the United Kingdom. “There’s obviously been so much pressure from drivers and trade unions who would support a class action against Uber,” said Rebecca Thornley-Gibson, a partner at London law firm DMH Stallard. Fighting since 2016 Uber fought a five-year legal battle against the change in …

Letters to the Editor: With Prop. 22, Californians let Uber and Lyft buy a law
4 years, 2 months ago

Letters to the Editor: With Prop. 22, Californians let Uber and Lyft buy a law

LA Times  

A vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers arrives at a No on Prop. One thing is clear: On Nov. 3, Californians let Uber and Lyft buy a law. I believe in the ballot initiative system in theory and was proud to volunteer for the campaigns to pass two animal protection laws, Proposition 2 in 2009 and Proposition 12 in 2018. …

Ride-hailing, delivery giants win fight against labor law
4 years, 2 months ago

Ride-hailing, delivery giants win fight against labor law

Associated Press  

OAKLAND, Calif. — App-based companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash have dodged a potentially devastating blow to their industry by carving out an exemption from a California law that required them to classify their drivers as employees instead of contractors. “I’m worried about what these companies may try to pull off on a national basis.” The Independent Drivers Guild, which …

Uber, Lyft spend big, win in California vote about drivers
4 years, 2 months ago

Uber, Lyft spend big, win in California vote about drivers

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services spent $200 million in a winning bet to circumvent California lawmakers and the courts to preserve their business model by keeping drivers from becoming employees eligible for benefits and job protections. Opponents said the companies exploit drivers to keep profits high and the ballot measure would deprive workers …

Uber and Lyft Got the Result They Wanted on Election Night
55 years ago

Uber and Lyft Got the Result They Wanted on Election Night

Slate  

California residents approved Proposition 22, which lets delivery and ride-share companies continue to classify their workers in the state as independent contractors rather than employees. The closely watched voter measure exempts companies like Uber and Lyft from having to provide unemployment protections, minimum wage, sick leave, and other benefits to California gig workers. Prop 22 partially overturns Assembly Bill 5, …

Prop. 22 passed, a major win for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash. What happens next?
4 years, 2 months ago

Prop. 22 passed, a major win for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash. What happens next?

LA Times  

Facing mounting legal pressure for classifying their vast workforces as contractors rather than employees, gig economy companies put forth what they argued was a better solution — one that would provide some benefits to workers without forcing them to alter their business model. “Instead of paying their drivers, gig corporations forged a deceptive $204-million campaign to change the rules for …

Uber and Lyft win battle in California to treat drivers as contractors
4 years, 2 months ago

Uber and Lyft win battle in California to treat drivers as contractors

The Telegraph  

Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft have won their battle against a proposed Californian law that would have required them to consider their drivers as employees, sending shares soaring. Voters exempted the gig economy companies from an employment law known as A.B.5 in the most expensive ballot initiative in state history. The result is a a major boost to Uber and …

Uber, Lyft win in California’s most expensive ballot measure ever
4 years, 2 months ago

Uber, Lyft win in California’s most expensive ballot measure ever

Al Jazeera  

Californians overwhelmingly voted in favour of Prop 22, exempting app-based ride-hailing and delivery services from classifying drivers as employees eligible for benefits and job protections. The titans of the so-called gig economy bankrolled the most expensive ballot measure in state history, which was decided on Tuesday with 58 percent of more than 11 million voters choosing to keep drivers classified …

California voters approve Prop. 22, allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to remain independent contractors
4 years, 2 months ago

California voters approve Prop. 22, allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to remain independent contractors

LA Times  

A car with Uber and Lyft stickers on its windshield leaves the departure terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. Californians sided with the $200-million Proposition 22 campaign led by Uber and Lyft, voting to pass the measure and grant ride-hail and delivery companies an exemption from California employment law to continue treating workers as independent contractors. The measure allows the …

Endorsement: No on Prop. 22. It’s the wrong solution for Uber drivers and the gig economy
4 years, 3 months ago

Endorsement: No on Prop. 22. It’s the wrong solution for Uber drivers and the gig economy

LA Times  

Proposition 22, which would classify drivers for app-based services such as Uber and Lyft as independent contractors but guarantee them certain benefits, is an ink-blot test. If you think the apps provide workers an easy means to make extra money and consumers an affordable alternative to taxis, you’ll see Proposition 22 as a way to hold onto a service you …

Uber and Lyft just avoided a shutdown. How they got here and what’s next
4 years, 4 months ago

Uber and Lyft just avoided a shutdown. How they got here and what’s next

LA Times  

A flurry of notifications lighted up the phones of Lyft and Uber users in California early this week. Lyft reiterated that threat in a blog post Thursday morning, saying: “This is not something we wanted to do.” The judge, Ethan P. Schulman, dismissed both companies’ initial appeals last week. 22 in November,” Zimmer said, and if passed, the measure “would …

California judge DENIES Uber and Lyft's requests for more time to appeal injunction
4 years, 4 months ago

California judge DENIES Uber and Lyft's requests for more time to appeal injunction

Daily Mail  

A California judge has refused to grant Uber and Lyft more time to appeal his decision requiring the ride-sharing companies to classify drivers in that state as employees rather than independent contractors. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman said he found no reason to give Uber and Lyft an extension on their 10-day deadline to file an appeal against …

Uber and Lyft say they will have to shut down in California if court upholds employee ruling
4 years, 4 months ago

Uber and Lyft say they will have to shut down in California if court upholds employee ruling

Daily Mail  

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the ride-sharing company could be forced to shut down service in California for several months if a state court does not overturn a ruling requiring it to classify its drivers as full-time employees. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is pictured in an MSNBC interview on Wednesday, where he warned that the ride-sharing company could be forced …

California wins ruling against Uber, Lyft: Judge says drivers are employees
4 years, 5 months ago

California wins ruling against Uber, Lyft: Judge says drivers are employees

LA Times  

Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. were ordered Monday to convert their California drivers from independent contractors to employees with benefits, an early loss in a court battle that the gig economy can’t afford to lose. The case brought by California officials to enforce Assembly Bill 5, a state labor law that took effect this year, is the most serious …

Uber and Lyft are being sued for alleged wage theft by California Labor Commissioner
4 years, 5 months ago

Uber and Lyft are being sued for alleged wage theft by California Labor Commissioner

CNN  

CNN — Uber and Lyft are facing a new round of legal pressure in their home state of California over how they classify their workers. California’s Labor Commissioner’s Office said Wednesday that it filed lawsuits against the two companies for allegedly committing wage theft by misclassifying their on-demand workers as independent contractors instead of employees. Under a new California law, …

Uber and Lyft drivers win battle over unpaid unemployment benefits
4 years, 5 months ago

Uber and Lyft drivers win battle over unpaid unemployment benefits

CNN  

New York CNN Business — A federal judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of a group of New York Uber and Lyft drivers who sued the state for taking too long to send their unemployment checks. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images/FILE The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a labor rights group, filed a lawsuit on the drivers’ behalf in May after …

Column: Pressure builds on Uber and Lyft under California’s gig worker law
4 years, 6 months ago

Column: Pressure builds on Uber and Lyft under California’s gig worker law

LA Times  

Passengers waiting for their rides last year after LAX established a special pickup area for Lyft, Uber and taxis. Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies have exploited America’s lax workplace regulations to build businesses addicted to forcing the cost of business onto the shoulders of essential workers. The companies say it would preserve the “flexibility” to set one’s own …

Gig-economy crackdown: California sues Uber and Lyft
4 years, 8 months ago

Gig-economy crackdown: California sues Uber and Lyft

Al Jazeera  

If the companies lose the suit, they could be forced to pay for overtime, healthcare and other benefits. Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. were sued by California for allegedly violating a new state law designed to give gig-economy workers the benefits of employees. The complaint “asserts that Uber and Lyft gain an unfair and unlawful competitive advantage by inappropriately …

California sues Uber and Lyft, saying drivers are employees
4 years, 8 months ago

California sues Uber and Lyft, saying drivers are employees

LA Times  

Gen. Xavier Becerra, shown in 2017, announced May 5 that the state — along with Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco — is suing Uber and Lyft. California sued Uber and Lyft on Tuesday, alleging the ride-hailing companies have illegally treated their drivers as independent contractors, depriving them of worker protections and benefits such as minimum wage and unemployment …

California is suing Uber and Lyft over alleged worker misclassification
4 years, 8 months ago

California is suing Uber and Lyft over alleged worker misclassification

CNN  

CNN Business — Uber and Lyft were hit with a fresh lawsuit on Tuesday by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and a coalition of city attorneys who allege the companies are misclassifying their workers in violation of a new state law. While Uber’s chief legal officer said last fall the company believed that the new test imposed by the AB-5 …

Uber tests letting some drivers in California set their own fares
4 years, 11 months ago

Uber tests letting some drivers in California set their own fares

LA Times  

Uber Technologies Inc. is allowing some drivers in California to set their own rates, an effort to bolster the company’s argument that they’re independent workers and not employees. California’s new labor law could upend the multibillion-dollar operations built by Uber and other companies by leveraging on-demand labor. Uber, Lyft Inc., DoorDash Inc. and Postmates Inc. are championing a California ballot …

Corporate America's Second War With the Rule of Law
5 years, 2 months ago

Corporate America's Second War With the Rule of Law

Wired  

Last month, after a fierce lobbying battle, California passed a law that will likely end up mandating that companies in the “gig economy,” such as Uber, treat gig workers as employees. After losing the battle to carve out an exception for Uber drivers, Uber’s general counsel, former Obama official Tony West, announced the company simply did not believe the law …

California has a new law for contract workers. But many businesses aren’t ready for change
5 years, 3 months ago

California has a new law for contract workers. But many businesses aren’t ready for change

LA Times  

Esther M. Hermida, president of GeoLingua Inc., a one-woman translation and interpretation company, hires independent contractors, works as an independent contractor herself and is not happy with Assembly Bill 5. Whether independent contractors or employees, what’s important is they have a choice.” But the company’s policy is now “if they want to haul with us, they have to have their …

Uber CEO calls business ‘sustainable’ amid huge losses
5 years, 3 months ago

Uber CEO calls business ‘sustainable’ amid huge losses

CNN  

Amanpour’s full interview with Khosrowshahi airs Wednesday at 1 p.m. In an interview with CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour that will air Wednesday, Khosrowshahi defended Uber’s business model, which involves the company investing heavily in promotions to entice customers to its on-demand ride and meal-delivery offerings. And anytime you have a business that has the kind of market size of trillions …

Column: In landmark session, the California Legislature shows what progressive lawmaking looks like
5 years, 3 months ago

Column: In landmark session, the California Legislature shows what progressive lawmaking looks like

LA Times  

California is often identified as one of the most liberal states in the union — perhaps the most liberal. Among the measures passed in Sacramento were bills to enforce worker employment rights at “gig economy” firms such as Uber and Lyft; to require that student athletes be paid for the commercial use of their names and likenesses; to enforce childhood …

California Governor Signs Law Protecting Gig Economy Workers
5 years, 3 months ago

California Governor Signs Law Protecting Gig Economy Workers

NPR  

California Governor Signs Law Protecting Gig Economy Workers Enlarge this image toggle caption Rich Pedroncelli/AP Rich Pedroncelli/AP California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping new labor law Wednesday extending wage and benefit protections to about a million workers and aimed primarily at drivers contracted by ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The three companies that rely on contracting drivers …

How Tech Firms Like Uber Hide Behind the ‘Platform Defense’
55 years ago

How Tech Firms Like Uber Hide Behind the ‘Platform Defense’

Wired  

The state of California is set to pounce, so—big surprise!—Uber is playing Silicon Valley’s favorite get out of jail card: the "platform defense.” As in, “Judge, I couldn’t have committed the crime, I was a platform at the time.” In the process, however, Uber may have helped energize critics who insist that Big Tech companies be held to account for …

California Senate passes a bill to tighten rules for gig economy companies like Uber
5 years, 3 months ago

California Senate passes a bill to tighten rules for gig economy companies like Uber

Firstpost  

The bill makes it difficult to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. California State Senate voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that would make it much more difficult for gig economy companies like Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. The bill has come under sharp criticism by trade …

Uber, Lyft warn they’ll take the fight over drivers’ status to California voters
5 years, 4 months ago

Uber, Lyft warn they’ll take the fight over drivers’ status to California voters

LA Times  

Drivers for Uber and Lyft and their supporters rallied in Sacramento this week for a bill that would limit the ability of companies to label workers as independent contractors. The only thing they care about is their bottom line and making their executives even richer than they already are.” Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski vowed the labor movement would defeat …

Op-Ed: Call Uber and Lyft drivers what they are: employees
5 years, 6 months ago

Op-Ed: Call Uber and Lyft drivers what they are: employees

LA Times  

Uber and Lyft are mounting a full court press to convince policymakers in California that their drivers should be classified as independent contractors and not employees. Uber and Lyft argue they are technology platforms that connect customers needing transit from point A to B with drivers who operate as independent contractors. Through algorithmic systems, Uber and Lyft produce a highly …

Uber, Lyft say making drivers employees would ‘pose a risk to our businesses’
5 years, 6 months ago

Uber, Lyft say making drivers employees would ‘pose a risk to our businesses’

LA Times  

Lyft driver Jos Cashon, 28, left, joins fellow Uber and Lyft drivers during a one-day strike in protest for better wages and working conditions near Los Angeles International Airport in May. “A change to the employment classification of ride-share drivers would pose a risk to our businesses,” the companies declared in an opinion article published in the San Francisco Chronicle …

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