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[/FONT]Seattle on Monday became the first city in the nation to allow drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions.
Supporters erupted into cheers after the City Council voted 8-0 in favor of the legislation, which is seen as a test case for the changing 21st century workforce. The companies strongly oppose it, and several council members acknowledged there would be legal challenges ahead but said it was worth doing.
The measure requires companies that hire or contract with drivers of taxis, for-hire transportation companies and app-based ride-hailing services to bargain with their drivers, if a majority shows they want to be represented. Drivers would be represented by nonprofit organizations certified by the city.
Many drivers in Seattle are immigrants who depend on full-time work, but some make less than minimum wage and lack basic worker rights, such as sick leave and protection from retaliation, he said.
[FONT=ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The National Labor Relations Act does not extend collective bargaining rights to independent contractors.
[FONT=ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Read more @: [/FONT]Seattle Becomes First U.S. City to Let Uber Drivers Unionize
[FONT=ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]So Uber drivers in Seattle can now vote on if they would like to be represented by a union in bargaining [/FONT]:applaud[FONT=ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. This is pretty big news because Uber drivers are considered independent contractors and are not covered under the NLRA. This vote in Seattle can possibly pave the way to union organizing. However, this bill may be headed straight to court. [/FONT]