Seattle became the first city in the USA to allow Lyft and Uber drivers to unionize. The City Council voted for the legislation unanimously. This case can become a beginning of the change for the workforce. And now, Denver is joining the fight for Uber drivers and other gig economy workers.
The decision to let drivers unionize can be opposed in court by companies that are not happy with the legislation. Certainly, all of these companies that use cars to transport people will fight the legislation. After all, this legislation can be very expensive for these companies.
The companies that hire or contract drivers of for-hire transportation or app-services like Uber will need to bargain with their drivers if the majority of them show they want representation. They can be represented by those nonprofit organizations that are certified by the city.
Denver Wants Its Uber Drivers to Have a Seat at the Table
The legislation aims to give drivers an opportunity to have a say in their working conditions. Things like their hourly wage and sick leave are on the table.
Independent contractors do not currently have the right to bargain their working conditions. Federal law doesn’t do a great job of protecting workers in these fields, especially because the gig economy is such a new concept on the national scale. And all drivers who work for these companies are independent contractors so the companies can avoid paying for things like health insurance.
The costs of the administrating the decision are yet unknown. After all, there are about 10,000 Uber drivers in Seattle. On top of that, there are also thousands of Lyft drivers.
City-certified organizations will get a list of eligible drivers at all the companies. The groups must demonstrate that most of the drivers seek representation so the organizations can bargain for them.
