Uber and Lyft Drivers File New Lawsuit Against California Proposition 22
Uber drivers and other concert workers have filed a new lawsuit against California’s recently enacted Proposition 22, a law passed by referendum that allows companies to continue to treat their workers as freelancers rather than as employees with rights.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the lawsuit has been filed again in Alameda County Superior Court.
The California Supreme Court had overturned an earlier campaign to overturn Proposition 22, which rejected plaintiffs’ allegations that the law violated aspects of the state constitution.
Despite the change in venue, the Los Angeles Times notes that the lawsuit is more or less the same complaint that the Supreme Court had dismissed. The plaintiff group, which includes the Service Employees International Union, alleges that Proposition 22 violates the California Constitution.
More specifically, they claim that Proposition 22 effectively prohibits the state Legislature from granting workers the ability to organize; the plaintiffs also claim that the referendum illegally bans contractors from state workers’ compensation programs.
Saori Okawa, an Alameda County driver, said she and her counterparts are pushing the challenge because “in a democracy, corporations shouldn’t have the last word in determining our laws.”
“With Proposition 22, Uber, Lyft, Doordash and the other transportation giants went overboard by drafting a law that violates our state constitution and puts corporate profits before safety and basic worker rights,” Okawa said in a press release.
It was these companies, among others, that sponsored Proposition 22 and organized a massive voter outreach campaign on its behalf.
Uber, Lyft, and other digital apps reliant on contractor labor invested tens of millions of dollars in advertisements in favor of Proposition 22. Uber was even sued for forcing riders and drivers to move because of “propaganda” from Proposition 22 almost every time they logged into their accounts.
Many drivers, like Okawa, believe that companies of this type are intentionally disobeying state mandates on workers’ rights to bolster their own earnings and stock values.
“Businesses are trying to break our democracy just to increase their own bottom line,” Okawa said in a statement.
However, Uber has insisted that drivers like Okawa represent a small minority of its contractors. Uber, for example, has alleged that many of its workers enjoy the flexibility and freedom that comes with being a contractor: They can set their own hours and work as much or as little as they want.
Uber and Lyft Drivers File New Lawsuit Against California Proposition 22
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