Seattle on Monday became the first USA city to vote to allow Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize and negotiate issues such as pay and working conditions. The law also applies to all other drivers for taxi and for-hire companies who hold for-hire vehicle licenses.
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Meanwhile, Uber has begun testing UberHop, a service through which multiple Uber riders going along the same route are paired with the same driver and meet/are dropped off at pre-determined locations, in Seattle. Mike O’Brien, the council member who sponsored the bill, said on Monday that “we’re seeing a lot of changes that are very disruptive”. “Drivers say that with flexible and independent work with Uber, 50% of them drive fewer than 10 hours a week, 70% have full-time or part-time work outside of Uber and 65% choose to vary the hours they drive 25% week-to-week”. The decision was met with much joy from drivers for the ridesharing companies, but not from the city’s mayor, Ed Murray, who says he will refuse to sign the law.
San Francisco-based Lyft urged the mayor and council to reconsider following the bill’s passage Monday.
What appeared to be mostly supporters packed council chambers before the vote, with loud cheers and applause each time someone spoke in support and even more applause when the ordinance was passed.
The story of Uber driver Tekele Gobena gave me a number of reasons to rethink my once-frequent use of app-based ride-hailing services.
The text of the Seattle bill says that many businesses “rely on the drivers being classified as independent contractors” instead of employees, a practice that undermines city “efforts to create opportunities for all workers in Seattle to earn a living wage”. Additionally, drivers have not been covered under Seattle’s wage theft, sick leave, or new $15-per-hour minimum wage laws due to their disputed status.
The company has argued that the ordinance “conflicts with longstanding federal law” and threatens the privacy of drivers. The proposal was what Wired earlier called a “bold plan” and “clever workaround” to federal law by allowing a certified nonprofit to represent drivers.
The chance to organize gives drivers a power that’s never been granted to contract workers in the U.S.
The Teamsters Union Local 117 also celebrated the vote, while the National Right To Work Legal Foundation criticized it as a violation of drivers’ rights. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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