According to him, “Uber’s argument is a classic example of circular reasoning; because it regards itself as a technology company and considers only tech workers to be its employees…”
He added, “Were this reasoning to be accepted, the rapidly expanding majority of industries that rely heavily on technology could with impunity deprive legions of workers of the basic protections afforded to employees by state labor and employment laws.”
Furthermore, Judge Schulman said Uber and Lyft do not want to comply with AB 5, which provides protections for gig economy workers such as drivers for ride-sharing companies. Under the law, gig economy workers classified as employees are entitled to receive benefits such as health insurance, workers’ compensation, and paid sick and family leave.
Since Uber and Lyft classify their drivers as independent contractors, they don’t receive such benefits.
Judge Shulman wrote, “It bears emphasis that these harms are not mere abstractions; they represent real harms to real working people.”
AG Becerra will keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft will play by the rules
In a statement, AG Becerra said, “The court has weighed in and agreed: Uber and Lyft need to put a stop to unlawful misclassification of their drivers while our litigation continues.
