Uber Drivers Allowed To Form Unions In Seattle

The City Council has passed a law which grants the right to Uber driving partners to unionize in Seattle.

The City council of Seattle has unanimously ratified a law that will grant the right to Lyft and Uber’s drivers to form unions, a bold legislative move that is capable of testing the famous application based ride hailing companies.

Member of Council, Mike O’ Brien, says for-hire drivers as independent contractors are not provided protections so he is interested in giving them an opportunity to negotiate their working conditions. If more than 50% of drivers in Seattle were ready to be unionized, then the law would compel the corporations to bargain.

Neither of the two companies was able to send their representatives for commenting on the development Monday, but Lyft issued a statement asking the council and Mayor of the city to review the ordinance. Drivers said that with independent and flexible conditions with Uber, 50% of them are able to drive less than 10 hours per week, 70% have part time or full time work for being done for someone else other than Uber and 65% opted to vary their driving time 25% on a weekly basis.

After the voting, an official of Lyft stated via email, "Unfortunately, the ordinance passed today threatens the privacy of drivers, imposes substantial costs on passengers and the City, and conflicts with longstanding federal law". In California, a significant class-suit petition was filed against Uber technologies to resolve the same issue regarding the classification of its driving partners.

In June 2016, that petition would be presented before the court of law. Seattle University’s assistant law professor Charlotte Garden told it is a "virtual certainty" that a lawsuit would be filed against the legislation if it is enacted. The legislative body ignored the possibility of the law being challenged in the court and voted on Monday to unanimously pass it.

Drivers from various cities, including Seattle, have filed lawsuits against Uber for classifying them as autonomous contractors, and political leaders in Washington D.C and in other places are discussing whether a new labor category or benefits system may be needed.

Mr. Mike believes that the law would not be challenged if it is ratified, but made an acknowledgement that the newly passed law has never been previously tried. He further stated that the larger issue is concerned with antitrust rules, including whether independent organizations joining together to negotiate is a violation of any anti-trust law. These organizations will have four months to show that "a majority of drivers for a specific company choose to be represented".