Uber Sues City of Seattle over Union Law

Uber is suing Seattle for a law that allows Lyft and Uber drivers
the right to unionize. Image: Shutterstock

In December 2015, the Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to allow drivers for services like Uber and Lyft to unionize. While the decision has been criticized by the ride-hailing apps, the city has not backed down, and as of December 2016, that law is finally being implemented. Almost immediately, Uber filed suit against the city of Seattle for what it calls “arbitrary and capricious” rules, challenging the fundamental rulemaking ability of the city in this situation.

The law already faced a challenge from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but that case was thrown out of court after the judge called it premature. Prior to a law being implemented, it’s impossible to know exactly what the effects of that law will be.

But now that steps are being made to actually allow drivers to unionize, that law is being challenged. Seattle has expressed confidence in winning the case, which would not be a surprise after they defeated McDonalds over the $15 minimum wage law passed a few years earlier.

Uber’s lawsuit, which is not being joined by Lyft, comes at an awkward time, as the company has declared 2017 the “year of the driver” and vowed to work harder on improving their relationship with its drivers. It also comes after the #DeleteUber campaign that caused 200,000 people to drop the service after it botched its response to a taxi strike in New York during the JFK travel ban protests.

Uber’s actions are seen by many as contradictory in nature. On one hand, the company claims it wants to improve things for drivers; on the other hand, it is suing Seattle to prevent drivers from unionizing. If Uber wants to improve its relationship with drivers, there is some very real work that needs to be done.