Uber’s lobbyists, after clinching an agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada to launch a charm offensive at the Ontario provincial government for employee-like benefits on behalf of an estimated 100,00 drivers, weren’t done hobnobbing with unions.
Next up, the Teamsters in Washington State are working on a deal with Uber and Lyft.
The legislation would give ride-hail workers new benefits — sick pay, a process to appeal deactivations, protections against retaliation, and workers’ compensation — in exchange for codifying their status as independent contractors rather than employees, and preempting cities from regulating the rideshare companies as Seattle has done.
Washington lawmakers passed the bill, HB 2076, backed by Teamsters Local 117, with fifty-five yeas to forty-two nays on February 23. The senate will hold a public hearing February 26.
“HB 2076 exemplifies Washington State’s spirit of leadership and innovation,” Teamsters Local 117 vice president Brenda Wiest wrote to house representatives February 22 in an email obtained by Labor Notes:
This bill is supported by both Uber and Lyft, as well as the Teamsters, their affiliated Drivers Union, and dozens of labor and community-based organizations across the state. Moreover, it is backed by the people who matter most — the drivers themselves.
The Teamsters international declined to comment on the legislation.
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