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Lyft is spending millions to stop Massachusetts drivers from becoming employees
Two years after kneecapping efforts to classify drivers in California as employees rather than contractors, Lyft is returning to the same, expensive playbook on the East Coast.
Gig economy drivers in California sue to overturn Prop 22
Drivers and labor unions have asked the California Supreme Court
Appeals court backs ruling that Uber, Lyft should treat drivers as employees
Uber and Lyft lost in court in Thursday, as the First Appellate District court in San Francisco affirmed a preliminary injunction placed against the companies last month. As NBC News notes, the ruling will be put on hold for at least 60 days, and the companies can potentially appeal to the California Supreme Court. This decision makes it abundantly clear that Uber and Lyft have been breaking the law for years.
California Uber drivers sue company over Prop 22 app notifications
A group of California Uber drivers say the company has gone too far in its lobbying for Prop 22.
Uber and Lyft had time to comply with the law. They did not.
Uber and Lyft continue to fight back against laws that would require them to treat drivers as employees. The law is not on their side.
Uber CEO says his company can't hire all of its drivers in California
"We can't go out and hire 50,000 people overnight," the executive said during an interview.
Lyft will temporarily shut down in California if forced to reclassify drivers
Lyft says it may temporarily suspend service in California if it is required to classify drivers as employees.
Uber warns of temporary California shut down if it has to reclassify drivers
Uber CEO says the company may suspend service in California if the court doesn't rule in its favor.
California wins injunction against Uber, Lyft classifying drivers as contractors
California won a battle in court against Uber and Lyft over its new AB5 law, but they will appeal.
California sues Uber and Lyft for allegedly misclassifying drivers
California is putting AB5 to work as it sues Uber and Lyft for classifying drivers as contractors rather than employees.
Judge says Instacart likely misclassified California workers
California's recently enacted AB5 was aimed at improving working conditions at gig economy companies like Instacart, and it appears to be one of the first firms in the crosshairs. A San Diego county judge has granted a preliminary injunction barring Instacart from misclassifying its grocery shoppers as contractors instead of employees, finding that the state had a "probability of success" in its case against the company's parent Maplebear. The "handwriting is on the wall," the judge said. Whether or not AB5 was the right policy, it was based on a state Supreme Court decision from two years ago and became law -- Instacart couldn't pretend that it was unaware of (or couldn't adjust to) the new rules.
Uber experiment lets California drivers set their own fares
Uber is testing another new feature in what is presumably a bid to help mitigate the restrictions of Assembly Bill 5, which requires the company to treat its drivers as employees, not independent contractors. Some drivers in California will now have the ability to set their own fares, which could be up to five times the amount normally set by Uber.
Uber makes changes in California to brace for new gig worker law
Late last month, Uber and Postmates sued California in an attempt to block AB5, the law that would reclassify many gig economy workers as employees. While that fight is not over, Uber is also preparing for the event that AB5 takes effect. The company sent an email to over 150,000 drivers and millions of passengers, letting them know of several changes the company is making in California.
California governor signs labor law meant to fix the gig economy
It was really just a matter of time, but it's now official: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the state's Assembly Bill 5 into law. The measure is intended to reclassify many gig economy workers as employees by applying a test that determines whether or not they qualify as contractors. If they do, they have to be free from the control of a company, handle work beyond the typical scope of that company's business and routinely engage in an independently-formed business similar to the work they perform. In theory, this will force many ridesharing and courier companies to offer rudimentary labor rights like minimum wage, overtime and paid leave.
Uber and Lyft allegedly paid drivers to rally against employee status
There is seemingly no end in sight for Uber and Lyft's ongoing worker status dispute. The raging debate has seen battles in the UK Supreme Court, multimillion-dollar lawsuits, driver strikes and only a few small victories for labor groups. Now, the waters have been muddied even further following reports that Uber and Lyft essentially bribed drivers to protest in the companies' best interests.
California advances bill offering protections to gig economy workers
Gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft have fought hard to avoid treating workers as full-fledged employees, but they might not have much choice in California before long. The state Assembly has passed a bill, AB5, that would require businesses to prove that someone is an independent contractor and thus doesn't merit employee benefits. They would have to show that a worker isn't controlled by the company, isn't performing tasks at the core of the company's business and operates their own independent business. If not, they'd have to be treated as employees and receive benefits like overtime pay, minimum wages, health care and parental leave.
