SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed sweeping labor legislation that aims to give wage and benefit protections to California rideshare drivers at companies like Uber and Lyft and to workers across other industries. The closely watched proposal could have national implications as lawmakers, businesses and unions confront the...
Will New California Labor Bill Affect WWE Wrestlers?
A new California bill that would reclassify many independent contractors as employees passed both legislative chambers and awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature. While most of the media attention has been how this bill would affect "gig economy" workers like Uber and Lyft drivers, one California labor attorney thinks AB 5...
Uber Vows to Keep Fighting Sweeping California Labor Bill
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers confronting the changing definition of work have approved sweeping legislation designed to give many contract workers new pay and benefit protections, but tech giants Uber and Lyft vowed to keep fighting the changes, possibly by bankrolling an expensive fight on the 2020 ballot. The measure passed...
Bill Giving Protections to 'Gig Workers' Sent to Governor
SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill Wednesday that would give new wage and benefit protections to workers at so-called gig economy companies such as Uber and Lyft where people pick up jobs on their own schedule. The 56-15 Assembly vote marked a victory for labor unions...
California Senate Approves Bill Regulating Gig Economy
SACRAMENTO — The California Senate has passed a bill that would give new wage and benefit protections to workers at so-called gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft. The 29-11 vote late Tuesday sends the bill back to the state Assembly for final approval over strident Republican opposition. Democratic Gov....
Big Tech or Big Labor? 2020 Democrats Line up With Unions
SACRAMENTO — Thousands of miles from the union halls of Pennsylvania and Michigan, organized labor is flexing its muscles in a pitched battle with Big Tech. And the Democratic Party's 2020 class isn't being shy about picking sides. In a rare injection of presidential politics into a state policy debate,...
Lyft Posts Losses Despite Revenue Growth, Improves Outlook
NEW YORK — Lyft continued to bleed money in its second quarter but says it expects to stem some of those losses, raising its outlook for 2019. The ride-hailing company on Wednesday posted revenue of $867.3 million, up 72% from the same time last year. But the San Francisco-based company...
Walters: New State Budget a Windfall for Unions
The state budget package Democratic legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom just enacted is sprinkled with billions of dollars in extra goodies for their most important political constituency, labor unions. Take, for example, Senate Bill 90, the budget’s omnibus education measure. It would allocate $3.1 billion to reduce mandatory payments that...
Assembly Votes to Tighten Rules on Independent Contractors
SACRAMENTO — California residents working for companies like Lyft and Uber would get the rights of employees entitled to a minimum wage and workers compensation under a law the state Assembly passed on Wednesday. The sweeping bill, which now goes to the Senate, carries new standards defining whether workers are...
After Two Years Away, Uber Returning to Fresno Airport
Soon, the estimated 1.7 million travelers a year through Fresno Yosemite International Airport can use Uber again. The ride-sharing company is scheduled to return after a two-year absence. The city council will vote Thursday (May 16) to grant three-year permits to both Uber and Lyft. In February, the council approved...