Uber and Lyft’s Proposition 22 is unconstitutional, judge rules – By Edward Moyer (CNET) / Aug 21 2021
The measure classifies gig workers as contractors rather than employees.
A California judge ruled on Friday that Proposition 22, a measure passed by voters last year allowing Uber, Lyft and other gig companies to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, violated the state’s constitution.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled the law improperly crimps the state’s ability to set workplace standards. Declaring the law unconstitutional, Roesch wrote that Proposition 22 “limits the power of a future legislature to define app-based drivers as workers subject to workers’ compensation law.”
The decision throws into question the fate of Proposition 22, a law that was passed last November after Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies poured more $200 million into a campaign urging voters to support the measure. The state law will likely remain in effect while expected appeals make their way through the court system.
