The California Supreme Court will not hear a case filed by rideshare drivers and a major labor union challenging the constitutionality of an initiative voters passed in November.
The court didn’t provide any reason for its decision Wednesday on Proposition 22, which exempts drivers for Uber, Lyft and other app-based companies from a labor law that requires them to provide employment benefits to more workers.
The ruling doesn’t close the door to a challenge against the measure, the most expensive ballot initiative in California’s history. Plaintiffs can choose to file a case in lower courts that could eventually reach the California Supreme Court again.
But the decision does represent a setback for SEIU and rideshare drivers, who had hoped for quick action to block an initiative they see as unconstitutional and harmful to thousands of gig workers in the state.
“We are not deterred in our fight to win a livable wage and basic rights,” said Hector Castellanos, a rideshare driver and one of the plaintiffs. “We will consider every option available to protect California workers from attempts by companies like Uber and Lyft to subvert our democracy and attack our rights in order to improve their bottom lines.”
Read the rest at: sacbee.com
