
Minnie Che is a student at Harvard Law School.
With official results for the Presidential race still pending, California has passed Proposition 22, an exemption from California employment law that will allow Lyft and Uber to continue classifying workers as independent contractors. It was a closely scrutinized and costly battle. Lyft, Uber, joined by DoorDash, Instacart, and Postmates, put in over $204 million towards a campaign in support of the ballot measure. Labor unions, on the other hand, raised just $16 million, while California Governor Gavin Newsom declined to take a stand either way.
The Proposition won with 58% of the vote. It exempts gig companies from providing the full employment benefits required under state law but will require them to provide an hourly wage equal to 120% of either a local or statewide minimum wage. Uber and Lyft must also provide a stipend for drivers to purchase health insurance. However, work hours only include time spent picking up and driving a rider. It does not account for the time spent waiting in between trips. Drivers for Lyft and Uber will now have fewer rights than they did under AB5, a law passed in 2019 that changes the way companies classify employees. Labor unions state that they will continue to fight for “fair wages, sick pay and care when they’re hurt at work.” Gig Workers Rising, one of several California groups that organizes app-based workers and opposed the initiative, has called the ballot passage a “a loss for our democracy that could open the door to other attempts by corps to write their own laws.”
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
October 16
NLRB seeks injunction of California’s law; Judge grants temporary restraining order stopping shutdown-related RIFs; and Governor Newsom vetoes an ILWU supported bill.
October 15
An interview with former NLRB chairman; Supreme Court denies cert in Southern California hotel case
October 14
Census Bureau layoffs, Amazon holiday hiring, and the final settlement in a meat producer wage-fixing lawsuit.
October 13
Texas hotel workers ratify a contract; Pope Leo visits labor leaders; Kaiser lays off over two hundred workers.
October 12
The Trump Administration fires thousands of federal workers; AFGE files a supplemental motion to pause the Administration’s mass firings; Democratic legislators harden their resolve during the government shutdown.
October 10
California bans algorithmic price-fixing; New York City Council passes pay transparency bills; and FEMA questions staff who signed a whistleblowing letter.