Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Some Uber, Lyft Drivers Sue Over California Ballot Measure
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
January 13, 2021

Share

LOS ANGELES — Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit Tuesday to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections.

The lawsuit filed with the California Supreme Court said Proposition 22 is unconstitutional because it limits the power of the Legislature to grant workers the right to organize and excludes drivers from being eligible for workers’ compensation.

The measure, which was passed in November with 58% support, was the most expensive in state history with Uber, Lyft and other services pouring $200 million in support of it. Labor unions, who joined drivers in the lawsuit, spent about $20 million to challenge it.

“Prop. 22 doesn’t just fail our state rideshare drivers, it fails the basic test of following our state constitution,” said Bob Schoonover of the SEIU union. “The law as written by Uber and Lyft denies drivers rights under the law in California and makes it nearly impossible for lawmakers to fix these problems.”

When the ballot measure passed, supporters said voters had shown they wanted to preserve the system that allowed drivers flexibility to set their own hours. Opponents said the companies had bought their own law and vowed to keep fighting.

Proposition 22 Was Written by Uber and Lyft and Supported by DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart

The lawsuit is the latest round in the high-stakes fight between labor and the titans of the gig economy, all based in San Francisco.

Proposition 22 was written by Uber and Lyft and supported by DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart to challenge landmark labor law AB5 passed by Democrats in 2019. It expanded a California Supreme Court ruling that limited businesses from classifying certain workers as independent contractors.

The measure granted the delivery services an exemption from the law that would have required providing drivers with protections like minimum wage, overtime, health insurance and reimbursement for expenses.

Under the measure, drivers remain independent contractors exempt from mandates such as sick leave and expense reimbursement but would receive some “alternative benefits,” including a guaranteed minimum wage and subsidies for health insurance if they average 25 hours of work a week.

Messages seeking comment from Uber and Lyft were not immediately returned.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

DON'T MISS

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

DON'T MISS

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

DON'T MISS

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

DON'T MISS

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

DON'T MISS

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

DON'T MISS

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

DON'T MISS

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

DON'T MISS

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

UP NEXT

CA Electricity Bills Could Soar Even Higher as Big Tech Builds More Data Centers

UP NEXT

Small Businesses Drive the Economy. Yet Their Funding Is at Risk Under Trump.

UP NEXT

Death of South Korean Actor at 24 Sparks Discussion About Social Media

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

UP NEXT

A Former Firefighter in the Legislature Has Ideas. Will Democrats Listen?

UP NEXT

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

UP NEXT

Poll: Where US Adults Think the Government Is Spending Too Much

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

10 hours ago

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

10 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

10 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

10 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

10 hours ago

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

11 hours ago

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

11 hours ago

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise

11 hours ago

Adames Joins Giants, Excited to Team Up With Gold Glover Chapman

11 hours ago

Leonard Peltier Released After Biden Commuted Sentence in FBI Agents’ Killings

12 hours ago

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

Signs hung throughout fast-fashion clothing store Forever 21 show discounts ranging from 10% to 40% off the “entire store.” And,...

7 hours ago

7 hours ago

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

9 hours ago

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

9 hours ago

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

Fentanyl M30 Pills
10 hours ago

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

10 hours ago

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

FILE — Steve Bannon speaks to reporters outside State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Feb. 11, 2025. Stephen Bannon, a top adviser during President Trump’s first term and a key figure among his supporters, said Elon Musk wants to “play-act as God” as part of his push to overhaul the federal government. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
10 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

10 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

10 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend