Are Uber Drivers Employees? Uber Faces Two Big Court Challenges

Strider- (Slashdot reader #39,683) shares a story from Reuters: Canada's Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of a driver in a gig economy case that paves the way for a class action suit calling for Uber Technologies Inc to recognize drivers in Canada as company employees. UberEats driver David Heller had filed a class action suit, challenged by Uber, aiming to secure a minimum wage, vacation pay and other benefits like overtime pay. Drivers are now classified as independent contractors and do not have such benefits. A lower court had already ruled that Uber's contracts included an arbitration clause that was "invalid and unenforceable," Reuters, reports, and it was Uber's attempt to appeal of that ruling that was dismissed by Canada's Supreme Court in an 8-1 vote. Reuters notes that "The arbitration process, which must be conducted in the Netherlands where Uber has its international headquarters, costs about C$19,000 ($14,500)." Meanwhile, CNN also reports that Uber and Lyft "could soon be forced to reclassify their drivers in California as employees or cease operating in the state as part of an escalating legal battle over a new law impacting much of the on-demand economy." California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and a coalition of city attorneys intend to file for a preliminary injunction this week to force the two ride-hailing companies to comply with the new state law, according to a press release issued Wednesday... "It's time for Uber and Lyft to own up to their responsibilities and the people who make them successful: their workers," said Becerra in a statement concerning the injunction the state is intending to file. "Misclassifying your workers as 'consultants' or 'independent contractors' simply means you want your workers or taxpayers to foot the bill for obligations you have as an employer.

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