OrganizedLabor
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Uber drivers in New York State begin to organize
Over 1,000 Uber drivers in New York have formed a labor association, less than two weeks after Uber agreed to allow the practice as part of a $100 million settlement. Known as "Alles," for the Amalgamated Local of Livery Employees in Solidarity (Uber Alles?), the association is not the same as a trade union. However, it will be able to bring grievances against Uber management, help drivers negotiate with car and insurance companies and lobby government to change labor laws, according to Reuters.
US Chamber of Commerce suing Seattle over ridesharing unions
When Seattle approved Uber and Lyft drivers organizing in December, the city did it knowing that the practice was illegal. Independent contractors aren't allowed to do so under federal law because it basically amounts to price fixing. And now the inevitable has happened: The United States Chamber of Commerce is suing Seattle because the city allowed the on-demand workers to unionize, Reuters reports. It doesn't sound like Emerald City is going down without a fight, though. Councilman Mike O'Brien says that there are "millions of dollars" in place for what could be a lengthy legal battle.
Seattle votes to let Lyft and Uber drivers unionize
The Seattle City Council's voted unanimously (9 - 0) that drivers for Lyft and Uber can form unions. The decision is much more complex than the drivers simply being able to organize and collectively bargain for better wages or benefits, though. The ruling is actually illegal, but it's up to a federal court to rule against it for the law to be reversed. The Seattle Times editorial board writes that the decision breaking national anti-trust laws was something that city officials knew about when voting during tonight's lame duck session, while The New York Times acknowledges that the decision is something that's likely to be challenged in court.
