Gig Workers

AB5 notches another win: Supreme Court won’t hear Postmates/Uber case 

Backers of California’s AB5 independent contractor law have scored a fresh victory after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Postmates/Uber case. 

California’s independent contractor law, AB5, has racked up another victory in the federal court system.

The U.S. Supreme Court without comment – which is common practice – denied review Tuesday in the case known both as Olson, for lead plaintiff Lydia Olson, and Uber/Postmates, to distinguish it from other Uber-driven litigation against AB5.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ab5-notches-another-win-supreme-court-wont-hear-postmates-uber-case

California Supreme Court upholds AB5 exemption for gig workers

Uber and Lyft drivers in California will continue to be protected from the state’s AB5 independent contractor classification law following a decision by the state’s Supreme Court. The ruling possibly ends a legal battle that has gone on almost since November 2020 when California voters approved Proposition 22, creating the gig drivers’ exemption. 

In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that the workers’ compensation provision of Prop 22 were not illegal and the gig driver...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/california-supreme-court-upholds-ab5-exemption-for-gig-workers

Minimum pay for Uber, Lyft drivers in Minneapolis pushed back to July

The showdown in Minneapolis over a May 1 level of minimum pay for what the city calls Transportation Network Companies — specifically, Uber and Lyft — has been put off for at least two months.

With both companies having said they would pull out of the city when the minimum compensation ordinance went into effect at the start of next month — and news reports saying Uber (NYSE: UBER) also would withdraw from the larger Twin Cities area, including the airport, which is not located in either...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/minimum-pay-for-uber-lyft-drivers-in-minneapolis-pushed-back-to-july

Wisconsin court affirms Amazon Flex drivers were not independent contractors

A group of Amazon drivers who are part of the company’s Flex program have been affirmed by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court to be employees rather than independent contractors.

The state’s highest court on Wednesday declined to review an appeals court decision from last April that overturned a lower court decision.

A court in Waukesha County had ruled in favor of Amazon (NYSE: AMZN), which argued that its Flex drivers were independent contractors under state regulations. The Court of Appeals for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wisconsin-court-affirms-amazon-flex-drivers-were-not-independent-contractors

After minimum pay rule passes, Uber and Lyft threaten to leave Minneapolis

The clock is ticking on a threat by Uber and Lyft to pull out of Minneapolis on May 1 after the City Council this week overrode a mayoral veto of an ordinance laying out minimum compensation requirements for app-based drivers.

The current measure has few substantive differences from a plan that died last year after it was vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey.

Last year’s veto override vote was 5-5 with three abstentions. This time, the vote was a veto-proof 10-3 in favor. There have been changes in the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/after-minimum-pay-rule-passes-uber-and-lyft-threaten-to-leave-minneapolis

AB5 3-ring legal circus: Full federal appeals court may hear Olson case

The “other” AB5 case in California — overshadowed by the better-known case brought by the California Trucking Association (CTA) — is awaiting word from the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on what happens next.

California partially lost the case against AB5 brought by Uber and Postmates in March before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit. The state of California is the defendant.

That decision, known as Olson after the lead plaintiff in the case first filed in 2019, said app-based...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ab5-3-ring-legal-circus-full-federal-appeals-court-may-hear-olson-case

Minneapolis mayor vetoes minimum wage proposal for Uber, Lyft drivers

The mayor of Minneapolis has vetoed an ordinance approved last week by Minneapolis City Council to establish a minimum per-mile pay rate for Uber and Lyft drivers in the city.

Instead, Mayor Jacob Frey announced an agreement with Uber (NYSE: UBER) that will guarantee a pay rate to its drivers that will equate to the Minneapolis minimum wage, which, depending on company size, is either side of $15 an hour. The agreement on a minimum wage appears to only apply to Uber, as Lyft has not indicated it...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/minneapolis-mayor-vetoes-minimum-wage-proposal-for-uber-lyft-drivers

Minneapolis council OKs bill mandating minimum compensation for gig drivers

A bill that would mandate minimum pay levels for Uber and Lyft drivers in Minneapolis, including a per-mile rate that is not all that far less than what national averages show it takes to hire a truckload carrier, will head to the desk of the city’s mayor, where its fate so far is unknown.

In a 7-5 vote, with one abstention, the Minneapolis City Council Thursday voted to approve legislation that would require several benchmarks be met for Uber and Lyft drivers to be paid. 

Among them is a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/minneapolis-council-oks-bill-mandating-minimum-compensation-for-gig-drivers

California Supreme Court to review rulings on constitutionality of Prop 22

The battle over the constitutionality of California’s Prop 22 lives on, with the state’s Supreme Court granting review of mixed lower and appellate court rulings on the issue of exempting gig workers from independent contractor law AB5.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would hear the appeal of the case, which was brought by a group of gig worker defendants. A driver named Hector Castellanos is the lead plaintiff. The Service Employees International Union California State Council is also a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/california-supreme-court-to-review-rulings-on-constitutionality-of-prop-22

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