Tech: Uber drivers get higher wages in NYC

Uber and Lyft drivers are getting minimum-wage protection for the first time—but just in New York City, said Alison Griswold in Qz.com. This week New York became the first U.S. city to enact a pay floor for ridehail drivers, who are independent contractors. Starting in January, the drivers will be guaranteed a base of $17.22 an hour for the time they spend working—including the time they spend without passengers. The move could “raise annual wages for 70,000 professional drivers in the city by as much as $9,600.” The new rules come after a string of suicides by New York City’s professional drivers.