The gig companies and a local Teamsters union helped shape the measure’s language.
A labor bill that would prevent Uber and Lyft drivers from being classified as employees has been quietly working its way through the Washington State House and Senate. If passed, it would be the first law by a state legislature in the country to cement gig worker status as independent contractors.
The bill—which would mandate that drivers receive paid sick leave and a minimum pay rate during fares—has so far faced scant opposition and received little media attention. It comes more than a year after the companies won a ballot measure campaign in California that excluded their drivers from a state law that required that gig workers be classified as employees.
