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 value. The court dramatically shifted the line separating employees from independent contractors, holding that anyone who performs work that is not “outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business” is, in fact, an employee entitled to a minimum wage, overtime pay, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and any other benefit the state required employers to provide. If both Proposition 22 and the companies’ appeal fail, all drivers could find themselves without app-based work for some time.

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History of this topic

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 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 …

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 …

Editorial: Prop. 22 just showed tech companies how to write their own labor laws
4 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: Prop. 22 just showed tech companies how to write their own labor laws

LA Times  

State lawmakers had the chance last year to strike a deal with app-based companies to boost the benefits and protections that workers on their platforms would receive. On Tuesday, California voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition 22, a measure to treat app-based drivers for Uber, Postmates and the like as independent contractors eligible for more limited benefits and protections than the Legislature …

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 …

What Prop. 22’s defeat would mean for Uber and Lyft — and drivers
4 years, 2 months ago

What Prop. 22’s defeat would mean for Uber and Lyft — and drivers

LA Times  

One way or another, the business of summoning a ride from your phone is likely to look different in California after Nov. 3. Uber, Lyft and other companies bankrolling the initiative say it would improve workers’ quality of life, providing new benefits while preserving their autonomy. Under Proposition 22, workers would also receive reimbursement of 30 cents for each “engaged” …

Uber, Lyft push Prop. 22 message where you can’t escape it: your phone
4 years, 3 months ago

Uber, Lyft push Prop. 22 message where you can’t escape it: your phone

LA Times  

Felipe Caceres of Mobile Workers Alliance speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles against Proposition 22, the November ballot measure that would classify app-based drivers as independent contractors, exempting them from AB 5. “It’s a case study of what will work and what doesn’t work in real time.” If Uber and Lyft secure a win, their strategy could serve …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Millennials have no money to buy cars: Citizens on Nirmala Sitharaman's Ola-Uber claim
5 years, 3 months ago

Millennials have no money to buy cars: Citizens on Nirmala Sitharaman's Ola-Uber claim

India Today  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement that the auto industry is in soup because Millenials used cab services instead of buying vehicles has the young generation divided. India Today TV spoke to several people about Nirmala Sitharaman's statement and here's what they think: Majority of the people India Today TV spoke to said that a drop in car sales was not …

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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