Uber Files Lawsuit Against Seattle Over Unionization

The Seattle City Council was unanimous in passing its resolution to let drivers that work for transportation network companies unionize. The law "allows drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft to unionize and collectively bargain for better working conditions, earnings, and other benefits. The bill was a victory for the App-Based Drivers Association, which had lobbied with the local Teamsters Union on behalf of freelance contractors," Andrew J. Hawkins reports in The Verge.

Uber, which was recently valued at $66 billion, called the law "arbitrary and capricious." They contend that allowing the company's drivers to unionize is unfair, an argument that will be tested in court at the beginning of 2017, just when Uber had been trying to improve its relationship with its drivers. "The company recently named 2017 'the year of the driver'," Hawkins writes. Evidently, they do not wish to do this by dealing with the driver's nascent union.