California: Voters roll back gig-worker law

Uber and Lyft won a critical ballot measure in California this week allowing gig companies to keep treating workers as independent contractors, said Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times. App-based companies, including DoorDash, Postmates, and the two ride-hailing giants, poured a record $224 million into the “Yes on 22” campaign, which urged voters to reject a state law passed last year requiring most gig workers to “receive the same employment protections, benefits, and wages as more traditional employees.” The 2019 law constituted a threat to their business models, and the ride-hailing companies both said they would leave the state if the ballot measure failed to pass.