Uber, California clash in landmark case

The stakes were higher than ever for Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc, as they lined yesterday against their home state of California, in the fight to determine whether ride-share drivers should be treated as employees with benefits. Gigeconomy companies, and Uber and Lyft in particular, have successfully deflected many previous lawsuits that threatened their business model. They now face an unprecedented threat, experts say, in California’s enforcement of Assembly Bill 5, the yearold state law that vastly expands the universe of workers who qualify for overtime and other benefits.