Media Contact
Adam Allington
In a win for ride-hailing companies, the California Supreme Court has upheld a ballot measure that classifies Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees. The decision ends a yearslong legal dispute that could have reshaped California’s gig economy if the ruling had been overturned.
Andrew Wolf
Assistant professor, ILR School
Andrew Wolf is an assistant professor who studies the gig economy at Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations.
Wolf says:
“This ruling has the impact of denying core labor protections, like a minimum wage, to gig workers and treats them as second class citizens in California. It is also a threat to democracy because it shows how corporation can buy their own laws in this country.”
“The specifics of the ruling itself are limited. The employment status of these workers was not under consideration. The issue was whether the wording of the ballot measure violated the state constitution. Particularly, the provision that would require a super majority of the California legislature to undue the law. This same court had already ruled these workers could be considered employees, which is what Prop 22 sought to undo.”
