This afternoon, Mayor Jenny Durkan unveiled her administration’s proposal for a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers, largely following the recommendations of the consultants the city hired to analyze the TNC driver labor market.
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The war heats up over Seattle’s attempts to regulate Uber and Lyft drivers’ pay
Back in April, it seemed the City of Seattle had finally made peace with Uber and Lyft; after years of legislation and lawsuits, they settled in court and all parties agreed to work together to determine a fair compensation standard for TNC drivers. Sadly, it was not to last: earlier this month a new skirmish broke out, with dueling studies, academic cat-fighting, and some big policy questions coming to the forefront.
Continue readingLegal challenge to Seattle’s Uber drivers collective bargaining ordinance ends
Yesterday the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Uber, and the City of Seattle jointly agreed to end the lawsuit challenging the city’s ordinance granting Uber and Lyft drivers certain collective-bargaining rights, and this morning the judge overseeing the case officially dismissed it. This ends the case’s complex, three-year journey through the court system.
Continue readingUber drivers union lawsuit headed back to appeals court shortly
Two weeks ago SCC Insight provided an update on a 2017 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce challenging Seattle’s ordinance granting Uber and Lyft drivers the right to collective bargaining. The case has been snaking its way through the court system for years now, with one trip to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018 already. And with a defiant filing by the Chamber today, it’s about to head right back there.
Continue readingCatching up on some old court cases with recent twists
Since the Council’s schedule is currently reduced due to the COVID-19 response, it’s a god time to catch up on some of the city’s ongoing litigation. There are four cases that have been kicking around for a while and recently saw some activity.
Continue readingThe Fare Share legislation: a close read
Last week the Mayor’s Office officially transmitted to the City Council its “Fare Share” legislation, imposing a tax on Uber and Lyft rides and enforcing a minimum wage for drivers. A close read of the bills reveals some interesting details and nuances.
Continue readingMayor proposes increasing tax on Uber & Lyft rides, minimum wage for drivers
(update below) Tomorrow morning, Mayor Durkan will unveil another of her 2020 budget initiatives: increasing the tax on Uber and Lyft rides in the city. In combination with that, she will announce a proposal to institute a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers. Mayor Jenny Durkan and Deputy Mayor Shefali Ranganathan briefing the press on the proposed new tax on Uber and Lyft rides and minimum wage for TNC drivers
Continue readingChamber of Commerce files for summary judgment in challenge to Seattle’s Uber union ordinance
Last month I wrote about the status of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s legal challenge to the City of Seattle’s ordinance authorizing Uber and Lyft drivers to engage in collective bargaining. Briefly: Last year the city tried to get the case thrown out, arguing that it had “state-action immunity.” The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, and sent the case back down for further proceedings . In December, the City Council amended its ordinance so that it no longer authorizes collective bargaining over compensation, which was very likely to be found to be illegal price-fixing among competitors.. In response, the …
Continue readingUber collective-bargaining lawsuit inches forward
Since the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a split-decision last fall, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s legal challenge to Seattle’s ordinance granting collective-bargaining rights to Uber and Lyft drivers has been back in the hands of the district court. But it’s proceeding in starts and stops, with the occasional flurry of motions and other legal filings. Today a joint status report filed by the parties extends that pattern.
Continue readingCouncil votes out of committee changes to Uber drivers’ collective bargaining ordinance
As expected, this morning the Council voted out of committee a bill that would make a major change to the 2015 ordinance authorizing Uber and Lyft drivers to organize for the purposes of collective bargaining.
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