Giving On-Demand Drivers A Voice
Origin: Seattle City Council
Bill Name/Number: CB 118499, Version: 2
Link: Click here
Summary: Introduced in September 2015, this bill would give drivers who are paid to give rides to passengers the
opportunity to have a voice by providing these “independent contractors” the authority to collectively negotiate over
their pay and working conditions.
Talking Points & Important Information:
• Aimed at combatting low pay, poor working conditions, and the absence of workplace protections faced by
for-hire drivers, the ordinance would allow drivers to form “Driver Representative Organizations” to represent
and collectively negotiate for the drivers, otherwise known as unions. These organizations would have to be
registered as nonprofits by the state of Washington, licensed by the city, and would be governed democratically
by their membership. Ultimately, it would allow drivers—who currently work as independent contractors—to
negotiate with rideshare and taxicab companies.
• Because members of the on-demand economy – Uber and Lyft drivers, for example – are considered
“independent contractors” they are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, thus currently have no
mechanism to address issues of scheduling, poor treatment, or wage theft directly with the employer.
• Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate with their
employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety
policies, ways to balance work and family, and more. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems,
and it is high time that “independent contractors” access the protections contained within the NLRA.
2015 POLICY BOOK
LOCAL
INTRO
LEVEL
PAGE 70