
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.”
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May 5
Unemployment rates for Black women go up under Trump; NLRB argues Amazon lacks standing to challenge captive audience meeting rule; Teamsters use Wilcox's reinstatement orders to argue against injunction.
May 4
In today’s news and commentary, DOL pauses the 2024 gig worker rule, a coalition of unions, cities, and nonprofits sues to stop DOGE, and the Chicago Teachers Union reaches a remarkable deal. On May 1, the Department of Labor announced it would pause enforcement of the Biden Administration’s independent contractor classification rule. Under the January […]
May 2
Immigrant detainees win class certification; Missouri sick leave law in effect; OSHA unexpectedly continues Biden-Era Worker Heat Rule
May 1
SEIU 721 concludes a 48-hour unfair labor practice strike; NLRB Administrative Law Judge holds that Starbucks committed a series of unfair labor practices at a store in Philadelphia; AFSCME and UPTE members at the University of California are striking.
April 30
In today’s news and commentary, SEIU seeks union rights for rideshare drivers in California, New Jersey proposes applying the ABC Test, and Board officials push back on calls for layoffs. In California, Politico reports that an SEIU-backed bill that would allow rideshare drivers to join unions has passed out of committee, “clear[ing] its first hurdle.” […]
April 29
In today’s news and commentary, CFPB mass layoffs paused again, Mine Safety agency rejects union intervention, and postdoctoral researchers petition for union election. A temporary pause on mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been restored. After a trial court initially blocked the administration from mass firings, the appeals court modified that […]