While everyone was watching the Council try to decide whether to impost a head tax, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made its own news today by ruling against the city in a case regarding its ordinance granting Uber and Lyft drivers the right to collective bargaining. But buried in the ruling is a legal precedent with potentially far greater impact
Category Archives: labor
Notes from today’s Council meetings
It was a four-meeting day. I’ll write on the Civic Arenas and Budget committee meetings separately, but here’s what happened in the Council Briefing and Full Council meetings (tl;dr: Sawant voted “no” on a bunch of things)
Council moves forward work plan for overhauling taxi and Uber/Lyft regulations
This morning, the Council voted out of committee a resolution establishing its “work plan” for revising regulations on taxi, for-hire, and TNC (e.g. Uber and Lyft) services.
Continue reading Council moves forward work plan for overhauling taxi and Uber/Lyft regulations
Council moves forward change to minimum wage law for disabled workers
Currently under the Office of Labor Standards rules a business can get an exemption in order to pay disabled workers less that the city’s minimum wage (though not less than the state minimum wage). That’s about to change in Seattle.
Continue reading Council moves forward change to minimum wage law for disabled workers
Changes to sexual harassment code advance out of committee
This morning the City Council once more took up some proposed changes to the city’s anti-discrimination code to make explicit prohibitions against sexual harassment and extend the statute of limitations for filing a complaint. After making a further amendment, the bill was voted out of committee but put on a slow train to full Council approval to allow for some additional analysis and community outreach.
Continue reading Changes to sexual harassment code advance out of committee
Uber union ordinance goes before the Ninth Circuit, and has a mixed day
This morning a panel of three judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard back-to-back arguments in two cases challenging the City of Seattle’s ordinance authorizing collective bargaining for Uber and Lyft (and other TNC) drivers.
Both sides found the judges to be deeply skeptical of some of their arguments.
Continue reading Uber union ordinance goes before the Ninth Circuit, and has a mixed day
Sexism, harassment, and toxic HR departments in Seattle city government
After a week of outstanding reporting by Crosscut on accusations of sexism, harassment, and dysfunctional and “toxic” HR departments in the city bureaucracy, today Mayor Jenny Durkan announced how she would be addressing the issues.
Durkan has an enormous mess to clean up.
Continue reading Sexism, harassment, and toxic HR departments in Seattle city government
State Supreme court declines to hear I-124 case appeal
Today the Washington State Supreme Court issued an order denying a direct appeal of the challenge to the I-124 ordinance instituting protections for hotel workers.
Continue reading State Supreme court declines to hear I-124 case appeal
Council to take up taxi/Uber/for-hire driver issues in early 2018
Yesterday afternoon Council President Bruce Harrell let it be known that he intends to look at a series of issues related to taxis, for-hire drivers, and Transportation Network Companies such as Uber and Lyft. His intention would be to bring forward legislation in the first quarter of 2018.
Continue reading Council to take up taxi/Uber/for-hire driver issues in early 2018
Notes from Monday’s meetings
Lots of goings on today…